Chapter 409: Nagato’s Rampage (8.4k)

During the subsequent journey, Kakuzu paid close attention to Muzuki.

He believed Muzuki’s ideas were impossible to achieve, too unrealistic.

If Muzuki himself couldn’t do what he said, then what he proposed was undoubtedly empty talk.

But the more he observed Muzuki, the more Kakuzu had to admit that the other party was a genuinely good person.

If everything Muzuki did was an act, then Kakuzu could only say that Muzuki was absolutely the Ninja with the strongest disguise ability in the Ninja World.

All of Muzuki’s actions seemed to come from the heart, showing no trace of acting.

When teaching Ninjutsu to the Ninja, he treated everyone equally, not abandoning those with insufficient talent.

“You’re so perfect it’s unlike someone from this world, but being too perfect is also a flaw. What exactly is your objective?” Kakuzu pondered, still believing Muzuki had a hidden agenda.

“Then you’re thinking a bit too highly of me; I’m certainly not perfect,” Muzuki said, looking at Kakuzu with some surprise.

He hadn’t expected Kakuzu to praise him so highly, thinking he was overly perfect.

But in reality, Muzuki hadn’t really put on a special act; most of his actions followed his true nature.

If anything, he acted more in Konoha; except when he was with his disciples or at the Ninja Academy, Muzuki had to act most of the time.

Muzuki was aware of his shortcomings. Although his followers considered him knowledgeable, much of his knowledge was superficial. After all, Muzuki wasn’t specialized in those subjects; in his previous life, he was just an ordinary normal school student.

Muzuki could only try to localize some of the knowledge he knew as much as possible and then experiment with it.

Direct application was unrealistic; not to mention the differences in development, the Ninja World was also a world with supernatural powers.

For example, Muzuki said that the Six Paths Sage’s Shinobi Sect should not use a hereditary system, but in reality, even if a hereditary system wasn’t used, the Ninja chosen would still be descendants of the Six Paths Sage.

Because the leaders chosen in that era, if not the strongest, would at least be among the top tier, and the descendants of the Six Paths Sage inherently possessed extraordinary talents inherited from the Six Paths Sage, far surpassing ordinary people.

Of course, Muzuki still felt there was a big difference between becoming a leader through one’s own ability and becoming a leader through bloodline.

“As for my objective, it’s probably just to make the world a better place,” Muzuki thought for a moment before answering.

Muzuki had always been willing to do good deeds within his capabilities. He wanted to take Nagato as his disciple to strengthen his power, and he could also make the Land of Rain better along the way.

“What good does making the world better do for you? With your strength, if you start a Ninja Organization to earn money, you could earn enough to enjoy several lifetimes in just a few years. Wouldn’t that kind of life be happier?” Kakuzu couldn’t help but continue to ask.

Muzuki smiled, “Then why do you continuously earn money? Is it because it’s not enough to spend?”

Kakuzu froze, unable to answer Muzuki’s question for a moment.

He certainly had enough money to spend. The bounty Kakuzu received for each high-reward mission was enough for an ordinary person to live lavishly for several lifetimes.

Kakuzu began to recall his black market Ninja career. Every time he completed a mission and his assets increased, he felt a strange sense of accomplishment. Villages would betray, comrades would betray, but money would not.

“You feel happy when you earn more money, while I feel happy when I see people living better and the world is peaceful. These are different pursuits,” Muzuki said leisurely.

The observing disciples showed thoughtful expressions, and some of the Ninja even recorded their conversation.

Since Kakuzu joined the team, this had become a daily routine for the Land of Rain’s traveling squad.

At first, some Ninja were displeased, thinking Kakuzu was disrespectful to Muzuki.

But Muzuki himself did not reprimand Kakuzu, and even said it was a good question, so the followers had nothing more to say.

Then the followers discovered that Kakuzu observed carefully and asked very sharp questions, which were also some of their inner doubts. So, every time Kakuzu asked, the other followers tacitly assumed it was time for a mini-lesson and listened carefully.

As time passed, Muzuki and his group had already traversed most of the Land of Rain, needing only to complete the northwest region bordering the Land of Earth to finish their tour of the Land of Rain entirely.

At this point, Muzuki no longer lectured alone. He had his followers summarize what they had learned and share their insights.

“I want to go first!” Yahiko said excitedly.

He had a lot to say, not only to his Akatsuki Organization comrades but also to Muzuki and the Ninja who had traveled with them.

“I’ve truly gained a lot by traveling with Ninja Master Sōsuke. Before, I only thought about making the Land of Rain peaceful and the Ninja World peaceful, but I never deeply considered how to achieve this goal…” Yahiko passionately recounted his gains along the way.

“So, Boss, have you figured it out now?” Kyusuke asked with a chuckle.

Yahiko immediately stumbled, then said somewhat sheepishly, “How could such a question be so easy to figure out? But I believe if we all work together, we’ll definitely find the right answer.”

“It’s back to working together again. Boss, your public speaking skills are truly as bad as ever,” Kyusuke couldn’t help but retort.

The other Akatsuki Organization members burst into laughter, and even Nagato couldn’t help but smile.

Yahiko’s speeches had no technique, relying entirely on passion, and he was often ridiculed by Akatsuki Organization members in the beginning.

“Ahem, let’s not worry about such things. In any case, learning is very necessary, and practice after learning is also very important. This experience of traveling through the Land of Rain has given me more confidence in the upcoming peace endeavor,” Yahiko coughed twice, then continued to speak.

“I used to dislike the Land of Rain, even detest it, because I was a war orphan. I lost both my parents as soon as I could remember and had been wandering ever since. The Land of Rain never gave me warmth; the only impressions it left me with were war, cold, and hunger.”

Everyone remained silent, quietly listening to Yahiko’s self-narration.

Many of them could empathize with Yahiko; the Land of Rain had endured war for too long, creating too many orphans.

Then Yahiko spoke of his change in mindset, gradually shifting from hating the Land of Rain to hating war and pursuing peace.

“I’ve personally experienced how hard life is for war orphans. I don’t want to see any more war orphans like me in the Land of Rain or the Ninja World in the future. Ninja Master Sōsuke, everyone, join the Akatsuki Organization! Let’s achieve our dream of peace together!” Yahiko concluded with an excited invitation.

He believed that Ninja who recognized the Shinobi Sect would also recognize the Akatsuki Organization because both pursued peace, and they could strive for the same goal.

Kyusuke gave Yahiko a thumbs-up. This was indeed a good opportunity for the Akatsuki Organization to strengthen its power.

“You certainly know how to pick your timing, but let’s discuss other matters later,” Muzuki said, leading the applause with a smile.

The other Ninja gave Yahiko warm applause. Regardless of anything else, Yahiko certainly put a lot of effort into his speech.

Next, it was still primarily voluntary, and if no one volunteered, Muzuki would randomly call on someone.

Nagato hoped it wouldn’t be his turn, as he wasn’t good at such things.

But unfortunately, this activity was for everyone, and even though Nagato kept silently wishing he wouldn’t be chosen, he was picked when more than half the people had gone.

Nagato walked onto the temporarily built earthen platform, at a loss. Looking at the dozens of Ninja below, he opened his mouth, wanting to say something, then found his mind blank.

Actually, Nagato usually listened very attentively in class because Muzuki’s lectures were interesting enough that even listening to them as stories wouldn’t be boring.

But in this situation, he completely forgot everything Muzuki had taught in class, as if he had never known it in the first place.

Nagato envied Yahiko. Although Yahiko wasn’t good at public speaking and was often ridiculed, Yahiko’s speeches were always full of passion.

“Just talk about your own insights and thoughts; there are no requirements,” Muzuki said with a gentle smile, seeing the awkward atmosphere.

“If you feel nervous, just imagine everyone below as radishes.”

Under Muzuki’s reassurance, Nagato’s mood relaxed considerably, and he gradually recalled what he wanted to say.

“Nagato, look at me, look at me!” Yahiko suddenly said.

Nagato looked towards Yahiko and saw a big, thick white radish. Yahiko had used Transformation Technique to turn into a radish.

Nagato paused, then burst out laughing. Yahiko’s current appearance was too amusing.

“Go, Nagato!” Yahiko cheered.

Some other Akatsuki Organization members who liked to play around also joined Yahiko in using Transformation Technique to turn into radishes, becoming a peculiar sight in the crowd. Some Ninja who were not from the Akatsuki Organization found it very interesting and joined in.

Looking at the field of radishes below, Nagato suppressed his laughter and began to recount his insights. Although it wasn’t particularly good, he successfully finished and presented his views.

After everyone had spoken, Muzuki looked at Kakuzu.

“Why are you looking at me? I’m not your student,” Kakuzu said, crossing his arms.

“But it won’t waste much time, and you have nothing else to do right now anyway,” Muzuki said with a smile.

Kakuzu’s face darkened slightly. If he hadn’t come to the Land of Rain and hadn’t met Muzuki, he would either be earning money or on his way to earn money right now.

Kakuzu snorted coldly, looking displeased, and directly stood on the earthen platform, launching attacks on everyone. In Muzuki’s team, besides helping out a bit during meal times, he was basically idle, so it was fair to call him an observer of the entire team.

In Kakuzu’s words, Yahiko was a hot-blooded fool who would easily be played to death in the Ninja World and even help others count their money. Nagato kept things bottled up and didn’t speak, unable to even understand his comrades, let alone talk about making everyone understand each other. Ikechou was so cautious he seemed like he would sell out his teammates. Everyone except Muzuki was thoroughly criticized by Kakuzu, who cited daily incidents.

As for Muzuki, the person Kakuzu most wanted to criticize was Muzuki, but he truly couldn’t find any valid points to criticize. Kakuzu’s pride wouldn’t allow him to fabricate things out of thin air.

“You should really thank Kakuzu. Not everyone is so meticulous in helping you correct your mistakes,” Muzuki teased.

The Ninja all laughed. In fact, those who were initially called out were very embarrassed at the time; it was practically a public execution.

But as Kakuzu spoke more and more, their embarrassment lessened. When everyone was publicly executed, it was as if no one was executed.

During dinner that evening, the Ninja were still teasing each other using Kakuzu’s evaluations of them.

“Ninja Master Sōsuke, I think we can act separately first, going to various Villages to give speeches and spread the ideals of the Shinobi Sect. This will both speed up progress and better train everyone’s abilities,” Yahiko thought of a good idea.

Spreading the Shinobi Sect’s ideals was something Muzuki had only recently proposed. The previous travels had only been about spreading the Shinobi Sect’s name and practicing everywhere.

After all, the Land of Rain was the Amegakure’s territory, so they had to be more restrained at first.

“Let’s see what everyone thinks. You all vote,” Muzuki left the decision to everyone.

Ultimately, most people agreed with Yahiko’s idea. The day’s speeches had given them all something to gain.

After deciding to act separately, Muzuki formulated a specific plan.

Regarding personnel, due to safety concerns, each team had to have seven or more people, and they couldn’t be too far apart. They had to report back to Muzuki every three days and attend class.

After Muzuki gave them emergency training for a few days, the team split into seven squads and began to act.

Yahiko declined invitations from other Akatsuki Organization members and, taking Nagato and Konan, invited several Ninja he had a good impression of.

He wanted to use this opportunity to help the Ninja within the team learn more about the Akatsuki Organization.

Initially, Yahiko proceeded very smoothly, both in spreading the Shinobi Sect’s ideals and in helping his comrades better understand the Akatsuki Organization.

But accidents always came very suddenly.

In a certain Village located on the border of the Land of Rain, Yahiko and his group were attacked by Iwagakure Ninja.

“We are Ninja from the Land of Rain. The Land of Earth and the Land of Rain are not at war. Have you perhaps mistaken us for someone else?” Yahiko didn’t want to engage in meaningless combat and tried to use words to make the other party stop their attack.

But the Iwagakure Ninja ignored Yahiko’s words and instead launched a fierce attack on Yahiko because of his leadership appearance.

Only then did Yahiko realize that these Iwagakure Ninja were not simple; they might be an elite squad from Iwagakure.

“Don’t hurt anyone; just subdue them first,” Yahiko shouted.

He mainly reminded Nagato, because if Nagato got excited and unleashed the power of his Rinnegan, he might instantly kill the opponents.

Nagato nodded. In this situation, killing the Iwagakure Ninja would bring trouble to the Land of Rain.

However, while Yahiko and his group didn’t want to harm the Iwagakure Ninja, the Iwagakure Ninja had no such reservations, directing every attack towards Yahiko and his group’s vital points.

This put great pressure on the besieged Yahiko, and he accidentally sustained a cut on his arm, drawing blood.

Looking at the blood blooming on Yahiko’s body, Nagato froze.

Yahiko was one of the people Nagato cared about most, if not the most important.

When Nagato lost his parents and wandered the Ninja World, it was Yahiko who led him forward, guiding him out of sadness and into a new life.

Although Konan was also an important comrade in Nagato’s heart, Yahiko held a special place in Nagato’s heart. If one had to describe it, Yahiko was the first ray of light Nagato encountered when he fell into darkness.

“Die!” The Iwagakure Ninja fighting Nagato immediately seized the opportunity and thrust his sword towards Nagato.

Bang!

Nagato’s Rinnegan suddenly trembled, and a terrifying aura rose from Nagato’s body. The Iwagakure Ninja who attacked him was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and leaving a trail of blood.

The other Iwagakure Ninja were all startled by this terrifying aura.

But before they could react, Nagato, with extreme speed and powerful, bizarre methods, killed them all.

By the time Nagato came to his senses, the ground was already covered in corpses, and his four Shinobi Sect teammates were all in shock.

They hadn’t expected there to be another strong person in the team besides Muzuki, and one so young.

“Yahiko, I’m sorry, I…” Nagato said, lowering his head.

Undoubtedly, he had messed up.

Yahiko looked at the slightly pale Nagato, sighed, and comforted him with a smile:

“Didn’t Ninja Master Sōsuke say that for Ninja who want to kill us, we can retaliate in kind? That’s only natural; you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Nagato had erupted to protect him, so Yahiko naturally had no reason to blame Nagato.

“Nagato, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Konan asked with concern.

“It’s alright, I just used a bit too much Chakra,” Nagato replied, shaking his head.

“Given what happened, I think it’s necessary to report to Ninja Master Sōsuke. Let’s head back early this time,” Yahiko said after some thought.

No one objected, and the seven immediately rushed back to the Village where Muzuki was located.

After Yahiko and the seven left, several Ninja wearing Konoha Root Ninja uniforms appeared.

“The Rinnegan, I didn’t expect such power to exist in the Land of Rain,” Danzo Shimura said, looking at the dead Root squad with a surprised expression.

The Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki are all descendants of the Six Paths Sage, which meant Konoha possessed extensive information on the Six Paths Sage. Danzo Shimura knew that the Six Paths Sage was not a legend but a real person.

However, Danzo had not expected the Six Paths Sage’s Rinnegan to appear in the Land of Rain.

“The Demigod Hanzō, Ninja Master Sōsuke, and the Rinnegan—these three powers must absolutely not converge!” Danzo Shimura’s eyes flashed with deep apprehension.

In his opinion, the current Land of Rain’s overall strength was too great, already enough to threaten Konoha.

“Fortunately, I discovered this in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable,” Danzo Shimura secretly mocked Hiruzen’s incompetence in his heart.

Now, Ninja Master Sōsuke and the Rinnegan had joined forces. If left unchecked, the fusion of these three great powers would truly create an existence comparable to the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Although Danzo Shimura greatly desired Hanzō and Muzuki to fight directly, his investigation revealed that the two were not enemies and had even met amicably once.

Therefore, after discovering that Muzuki’s final destination was the border adjacent to the Land of Earth, Danzo Shimura immediately brought his subordinates to stir up trouble, hoping to provoke a conflict between Muzuki and Iwagakure.

Now, Danzo Shimura felt this was not enough; he wanted to definitively quash any possibility of Hanzō and Muzuki cooperating.

Danzo Shimura had his subordinates collect the bodies of the fallen Root members, then used the Transformation Technique to transform into Yahiko and his group’s appearance to hunt down a squad of Iwagakure Ninja. After cleaning up the scene, Danzo Shimura took the bodies of the Iwagakure Ninja to the Amegakure.

Upon learning that Danzo Shimura had arrived at the Amegakure, Hanzō personally received him.

In the eyes of other Shinobi Villages, Danzo Shimura was Konoha’s second-in-command, capable of representing Konoha.

“Hanzō, I truly feel indignant for you,” Danzo Shimura suddenly said with a look of righteous indignation, as if Hanzō had suffered a great injustice.

“Why do you say that?” Hanzō looked at Danzo Shimura with confusion.

Whether in status or strength, they could be considered figures of the same level, so Hanzō did not mind Danzo Shimura calling him by his name directly.

“You so greatly appreciate the young talents of the Land of Rain, actively helping them gain renown, yet they have not inherited your ambition for peace. Instead, they have actively brought conflict to the Land of Rain,” Danzo Shimura began to deliver his carefully prepared speech.

Hanzō’s expression became serious, signaling Danzo Shimura to continue.

“Hanzō, as you know, Konoha is currently at war with Iwagakure, and besides that, we also have Kumogakure and Hidden Mist as opponents.

Although the powerful Konoha does not fear challenges, the chaotic war among the Four Great Shinobi Villages would cause great destruction to the Ninja World. We in Konoha cannot bear to see the Ninja World suffer such devastation, so we thought of having you, Hanzō, mediate to facilitate peace talks between Konoha and Iwagakure,” Danzo Shimura spoke serious nonsense.

There was no talk of peace with Iwagakure within Konoha, as they held the advantage.

Hanzō nodded, acknowledging Danzo Shimura’s reasoning.

However, he did not believe that Konoha did not want to see the Ninja World suffer; he simply thought Konoha was feeling the pressure and wanted to reduce the number of opponents.

Hanzō found it perfectly reasonable for Konoha to seek his mediation, as he was the only leader of a small Shinobi Village to stand at the apex of the Ninja World, enjoying renown throughout the entire Ninja World.

“But my Ninja discovered an unfortunate matter: those Ninja from the Land of Rain, who call themselves the Shinobi Sect, attacked and killed Iwagakure Ninja,” Danzo Shimura said, revealing a pained expression.

“Because they were wearing Amegakure headbands, my subordinates initially thought they were Amegakure Ninja, but after investigation, they discovered they were not.”

A hint of awkwardness appeared on Hanzō’s face; this was perhaps a desperate measure by the Amegakure after the Second Shinobi World War.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Amegakure’s Ninja forces suffered devastating blows, with most killed and some defecting, leading to an insufficient number of Ninja to complete missions, let alone maintain domestic security.

To help the Amegakure recover, Hanzō issued a regulation: Ninja from the Land of Rain could take an exam to receive a Amegakure headband to complete Amegakure’s Delegated tasks (commissioned missions), but only for missions below A-rank, and the commission deduction was higher than for regular Shinobi Village Ninja. Those who performed well could become true Amegakure Ninja.

Therefore, Ninja in the Land of Rain wearing Amegakure headbands were not necessarily Amegakure Ninja; only Ninja wearing both the headband and the Amegakure uniform were 100% true Amegakure Ninja.

“Although they are not Amegakure Ninja, they are, after all, Ninja from the Land of Rain, and they wear Amegakure headbands. Iwagakure will likely attribute this incident to the entire Land of Rain,” Danzo Shimura lamented, as if saddened by the inability to conduct peace talks with Iwagakure.

Immediately after, Danzo Shimura had his subordinates release the bodies of the Iwagakure Ninja.

Hanzō carefully inspected them and confirmed they were indeed Iwagakure Ninja.

Most Iwagakure Ninja practiced Earth Release, which could be discerned from the training marks on their bodies.

At this point, Hanzō was mostly convinced.

After all, a Ninja of Danzo Shimura’s caliber would not slander a few unknown youngsters for no reason.

“In my opinion, this Ninja Master Sōsuke is by no means a benevolent person. His ideologies do not seem to be about rebuilding the Shinobi Sect; rather, they seem to be about inciting an unprecedented war in the Ninja World,” Danzo Shimura continued to poison Hanzō’s mind.

“Among those Shinobi Sect Ninja, someone actually spoke of abolishing nobles—how utterly treasonous!”

Danzo Shimura’s preparation was extremely thorough. Not only were the bodies of the Iwagakure Ninja real, but most of what he told Hanzō was also true. For this, he had dispatched Ninja to investigate carefully.

“My teacher, the Second Hokage, greatly respected the Six Paths Sage. If he were still alive, he would never tolerate such a fellow who tarnishes the Sage’s reputation, and how the Shinobi Sect, the origin of Ninja, has been so slandered by them,” Danzo Shimura sighed.

“Although the peace talks with Iwagakure may not proceed, if you, Hanzō, wish to deal with Sōsuke or need to resist Iwagakure, we in Konoha can be your allies,” Danzo Shimura said with an air of righteousness.

“Thank you very much for your intelligence, Danzo. However, this matter is significant and also an internal affair of the Land of Rain. I need to dispatch Ninja to investigate further,” Hanzō said with a deep voice, expressing his gratitude.

Danzo Shimura’s words were highly credible, but Hanzō could not fully trust them without further verification.

Danzo Shimura’s expression remained unchanged; this was within his expectations.

Hanzō had, after all, been a Shinobi Village leader for so long. If he had believed him immediately, Danzo Shimura would only have despised Hanzō internally and continued to use him as a free pawn.

Danzo Shimura was not worried about Hanzō investigating, because he had left no flaws, and even Nagato and Yahiko believed they had killed the Iwagakure Ninja.

………

“Ninja Master Sōsuke, we encountered a small accident,” Yahiko and the others immediately reported their encounter after finding Muzuki.

“We ran into a squad of Iwagakure Ninja, and they inexplicably attacked us. We accidentally killed them all during the counterattack,” Yahiko said, scratching his head awkwardly as he spoke.

He even thought his words sounded strange—accidentally killing everyone on the other side—but it was indeed the absolute truth.

“Are you sure they were Iwagakure Ninja?” Muzuki asked after listening.

“I think so. They were all dressed as Iwagakure Ninja and used Earth Release Ninjutsu,” Yahiko had never doubted the identity of those Iwagakure Ninja.

After all, that Village was on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, so the appearance of Iwagakure Ninja was not strange.

Muzuki shook his head, “Uniforms and headbands are not difficult to imitate, and Earth Release Ninjutsu is not exclusive to Iwagakure. Did you examine the bodies carefully?”

All seven shook their heads, denying it. They hadn’t thought of that aspect. Yahiko and the two others were inexperienced and lacked knowledge in various areas, while the remaining four Ninja were so shocked by Nagato’s power that they forgot.

“Since they attacked first, your counterattack was perfectly fine. Their deaths were well-deserved,” Muzuki did not blame Nagato and the others.

“However, we still need to clarify who the opponents were. Take me there.”

Yahiko and the others quickly led Muzuki to the place where they had fought.

Upon returning, Yahiko and the others were dumbfounded, because all the Iwagakure bodies were gone.

“Let’s ask the nearby villagers. Maybe they handled them,” Konan suggested a possibility.

“That’s possible, but it’s more likely that their comrades took them away. Retrieving bodies is also an important job for Ninja,” Muzuki told them not to hold too much hope.

As Muzuki expected, Yahiko and the others frantically asked around the surrounding Villages but found no trace of the bodies.

Nagato showed a self-reproachful expression. If he hadn’t lost control, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

“Even though Jiraiya-sensei taught me so many Ninjutsu, I still can’t control my power properly,” Nagato was very disappointed in himself.

Jiraiya said he might be the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage and the savior of the Ninja World, but Nagato felt there couldn’t be such a terrible savior as him.

“Ninja Master Sōsuke, what should we do now?” Yahiko looked at Muzuki and asked.

Yahiko was also a bit tired now; he felt like he wasn’t cut out to be a leader. If Muzuki had been there at that time, he definitely wouldn’t have let the incident turn out this way.

“Since the clues are gone, then let’s focus on the task at hand. If they really were Iwagakure Ninja, then the people from Iwagakure will surely come looking for us again,” Muzuki said after some thought.

Actually, Muzuki knew the whole truth.

Because Muzuki had sent a Shadow Clone to follow Yahiko and the others.

So Muzuki knew that those so-called Iwagakure Ninja were actually Danzo Shimura’s Root Ninja.

Muzuki could easily guess what Danzo Shimura wanted to do: nothing more than to stir up conflict between them and Iwagakure, and possibly Hanzō as well.

However, while Danzo Shimura had a scheme to sow discord, Muzuki also had his own plan.

The ideals of the Shinobi Sect founded by Muzuki were destined to clash with the Ninja of the current era; conflict was inevitable.

Instead of exposing Danzo’s scheme, it was better to play along and use this to train the Shinobi Sect and the Akatsuki Organization, enhancing their abilities.

Anyway, Muzuki was still in the Land of Rain, so he could back them up.

Muzuki also had a selfish motive: true friendship is revealed in adversity, and a crisis would be even better for increasing Nagato’s favorability.

“This is the only way for now,” Yahiko felt that Muzuki’s words made sense.

Looking at the helpless Yahiko, Nagato felt even more self-reproachful, returning to the Village in silence all the way.

Yahiko and Konan both noticed Nagato’s mood, and they spoke to comfort him.

Nagato didn’t want them to worry, so he pretended to be back to normal, only revealing his true emotions once he reached his room.

Thump, thump!

Just as Nagato was curled up with his hands wrapped around his legs, feeling down by himself, there was a knock on his room door.

Nagato hastily adjusted his expression before opening the door. He had thought it was Yahiko or Konan coming to see him.

But to Nagato’s surprise, it was Muzuki, holding a bowl of ramen.

Nagato looked at Muzuki, puzzled.

Muzuki placed the ramen on the table in the room. “Eat. When you’re unhappy, eating something delicious can make you feel much better.”

“But isn’t it a bit narcissistic to say your own cooking is delicious? Good thing Kakuzu isn’t here,” Muzuki self-deprecatingly remarked.

Since cooking skills were a major characteristic of Habsheng Muzuki, Muzuki rarely cooked in the Land of Rain.

“What, do you not like ramen?” Muzuki asked curiously, seeing Nagato remain still for a long time.

“No,” Nagato replied, shaking his head. His long wandering life had cured him of any picky eating habits.

Nagato was just a little overwhelmed. He hadn’t expected Muzuki to notice his mood and even make ramen for him.

“Eat it while it’s hot. The noodles won’t taste good when they’re cold,” Muzuki said with a smile.

Looking at the steaming ramen in front of him, emitting a delicious aroma, Nagato glanced at his stomach. He was indeed a bit hungry; using the Rinnegan consumed a lot of energy.

Nagato thanked Muzuki, then said, “Itadakimasu,” and began to savor the ramen.

Once he started eating, it was extraordinary. Nagato’s eyes widened. This was the first time he had ever tasted such delicious ramen—no, such delicious food.

Nagato, not good with words, couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment. After a bite of noodles and a sip of soup, he felt warm all over, as if his entire being had been reborn.

The moment of bliss ended only when his chopsticks picked up nothing. Nagato realized he had unconsciously finished all the ramen.

“Ninja Master Sōsuke, thank you,” Nagato apologized again.

If two simple thanks could earn such an incredibly delicious bowl of ramen, Nagato believed that the people who would want to thank Muzuki could form a line from the Amegakure to the border of the Land of Rain.

“If you trust me, tell me what’s on your mind. Keeping your troubles to yourself will only make you feel worse,” Muzuki said, sitting cross-legged.

Nagato was silent for a moment. In his mind, he recalled Muzuki’s travels through the Land of Rain, the care he routinely showed his followers, and that incredibly delicious bowl of ramen just now.

PS: This chapter is 8.4k words, there will be another chapter later.