Chapter 415 Nagato Explodes Gold Coins

【Disciple Nagato’s Trust Level has increased. Current Trust Level: Three.】

As Muzuki expected, the Trust Level had increased.

His previous confession of identity to Nagato had already increased trust to some extent, and now, by protecting him at the risk of his own life, it was normal for the Trust Level to rise.

If Muzuki had spent two years with Nagato instead of two months, Muzuki felt that he might have been able to reach Trust Level Four in one go.

Ultimately, the time was too short, but Muzuki was satisfied with the current results.

In addition to completing his disciple recruitment plan, Muzuki had also done some things within his power for the Ninja World, just as he had intended.

He established the Shinobi Sect in the Land of Rain to spread the ideology of peace. If the Shinobi Sect continued to develop at its current pace, it would undoubtedly be able to change the chaotic situation in the Land of Rain, even if it couldn’t maintain world peace.

“Let me heal you all first.”

Muzuki split off a Shadow Clone to heal the Ninja Sect, and then used Mystical Palm Technique to heal himself.

Seeing that Muzuki seemed to be fine, Nagato, who had been highly strung, finally relaxed, breathing heavily with a pale face.

Although his berserk state made him brave, it consumed a lot of Chakra and energy.

The other Ninja Sect also collapsed onto the ground in relief. Although not much time had passed, such a tense life-and-death battle was exceptionally tiring.

“We actually won…” Ikechou, who was slumped on the ground from exhaustion, was somewhat disbelieving.

He had originally thought that the best outcome would be for Muzuki to lead them in a successful escape. After all, their opponent was Hanzo, the strongest in the Land of Rain, also known as the “Demigod” and the pinnacle of Ninja in the Ninja World, and Hanzo had brought so many elite Rain Ninja.

This time, for them, it was a complete victory; no one died, only some were injured.

Of course, Ikechou was also very clear that although he was one of the participants, this victory had little to do with him; it was all thanks to Muzuki, Kakuzu, and Nagato’s efforts.

The MVP of the entire battle was undoubtedly Muzuki, who blocked the strongest Hanzo and intervened to help them at their most difficult moment.

Kakuzu also made a great contribution; if he hadn’t single-handedly held back many Rain Ninja, those weaker Ninja Sect would not have been able to withstand such immense pressure.

Before Nagato’s outburst, he acted as a Ninjutsu cannon, and after his outburst, he quickly dealt with many enemies, serving as the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Although they had achieved a rare victory, the atmosphere on the scene was very quiet, with few people speaking, and even Yahiko, usually the most talkative, remained silent.

However, everyone’s reasons were somewhat different. Nagato and Ikechou were too tired to speak, while Yahiko was too deeply affected to speak.

Even if Yahiko hated Hanzo now, his feelings for Hanzo before today were genuine; he truly admired and yearned to be like Hanzo.

Meeting Muzuki and becoming a member of the Shinobi Sect, he had walked a certain distance on the path of peace.

Being invited by his idol Hanzo to work together to maintain peace in the Land of Rain.

These two things were very joyful for Yahiko. Combined, they should have brought about a dreamlike happiness, but the reality was that the cooperation was merely a bait, and Hanzo wanted to eliminate the Shinobi Sect.

“Why did it turn out this way? Are all those rumors false? Were they all intentionally spread by Hanzo?” Yahiko couldn’t understand.

The one who finally broke the silence was Kakuzu.

“Sōsuke, you are truly a strange person,” Kakuzu said, sewing his body back together and looking at Muzuki.

Kakuzu was a bit unsure how to evaluate Muzuki.

To say Muzuki was naive, he felt that the entire development of this incident was within Muzuki’s grasp, and Muzuki had intentionally walked into Hanzo’s trap to let the Ninja Sect witness the cruelty of reality.

Could someone who behaved and thought like this be called naive? Kakuzu felt that naive people wouldn’t act this way; a slight mistake could have led to the deaths of some weaker Ninja Sect.

Yet, if Muzuki wasn’t naive, his goals and ideas, in Kakuzu’s view, were unattainable, naive fantasies.

The more Kakuzu interacted with Muzuki, the more perplexed he became about what kind of person Muzuki was. However, Kakuzu wasn’t without gains; he knew that Muzuki was very strong, with a profound and unfathomable strength.

“Just strange? Well, that’s not too bad,” Muzuki smiled easily. He had thought Kakuzu would use more aggressive words.

Kakuzu’s face darkened slightly; he still had great respect for the strong.

“Crying even after winning, one would think we lost the battle and comrades died.” Kakuzu was not so gentle with Yahiko and directly attacked him.

“I…” Yahiko wanted to say something but closed his mouth again.

He felt that the Shinobi Sect falling into Hanzo’s trap had a lot to do with him, and being blamed was what he deserved.

“What, do you think everything is your fault? Don’t think of yourself as too important,” Kakuzu seemed to have seen through Yahiko’s thoughts.

“Because…” Yahiko wanted to explain, but then realized Kakuzu’s words had cornered him.

Konan saw Yahiko being scolded too harshly, so she wanted to speak up and say a few words for him.

But Kakuzu didn’t care about gender or age, simultaneously attacking both Konan and Yahiko.

However, under normal circumstances, Kakuzu wouldn’t target individuals, so he also attacked everyone else.

“Experiencing setbacks is not terrifying, but being disheartened by them is. We must learn from our lessons and use them as nourishment for growth to become stronger,” Muzuki concluded the argument with one sentence.

Kakuzu had to admit that Muzuki was very good at speaking eloquently. He understood the reason, but for him to phrase it so nicely, Kakuzu genuinely couldn’t.

“You didn’t kill me, and I saved your subordinates. Our grievances are settled,” Kakuzu suddenly said.

“You really helped a lot this time. Thank you,” Muzuki smiled and nodded in thanks.

Without Kakuzu’s help, this battle would not have been so smooth.

“No need for thanks. If you’re truly grateful, give me money,” Kakuzu said unceremoniously.

“I can’t do that. The money I have is for treating everyone to a meal after the meeting, but I can invite you to eat with us,” Muzuki refused to give money.

“Do you want to eat?”

“Eat!” Kakuzu agreed without hesitation. He had to make Muzuki treat him to a big meal.

Kakuzu believed that Muzuki had no money, because although Muzuki was very strong, he didn’t take on missions, steal, or rob, so he naturally wouldn’t have money.

Before leaving, Muzuki found the Kunai that Hanzo had initially thrown, telling Muzuki to commit suicide. The Kunai had become worn out due to being affected by the explosion.

Muzuki gave the worn-out Kunai to Yahiko. “If you really can’t let it go, then you must learn even more from this experience.”

Yahiko nodded solemnly and carefully put away the worn-out Kunai. He would probably never forget what happened today.

Although Muzuki said he would treat them to a meal, after such a major event, they definitely had to return to the Shinobi Sect stronghold first to announce Hanzo’s actions.

Additionally, some people were worried that Hanzo might send Ninja to assassinate the Shinobi Sect who hadn’t attended the meeting.

Upon returning to the Shinobi Sect stronghold and seeing the peaceful village, Yahiko and Ikechou felt relieved.

Kakuzu wasn’t too worried, as he felt that Muzuki must have been prepared and left some contingency plan.

Muzuki gathered the Ninja Sect and revealed Hanzo’s conspiracy.

The Ninja Sect were all in disbelief. If it weren’t for Muzuki speaking, they would never have believed that Hanzo would do such a thing.

Some of them weren’t fond of Hanzo, but no one thought Hanzo was a treacherous and cunning villain. Hanzo had always been perceived by the Ninja of the Land of Rain as a broad-minded strong person.

“I didn’t expect Hanzo to be like that. Are you alright, Boss?” Kyusuke immediately believed Muzuki’s words, looking at Yahiko with concern.

Although Kyusuke usually liked to joke with Yahiko, he knew that Yahiko’s mood would definitely not be good at a time like this.

“I’m fine. Uncle Sōsuke is very strong. This time, Hanzo brought it upon himself,” Yahiko shook his head and said.

Having been reconciled by Kakuzu and Muzuki along the way, Yahiko had already come to terms with many things.

It no longer mattered what kind of person Hanzo was; what mattered was what he would do next.

When they finished listening to the entire process of Muzuki and the others’ meeting, many Ninja Sect showed shocked expressions again.

It wasn’t that they were easily surprised, but the content was simply too impactful for the Ninja of the Land of Rain.

The Ninja Sect all respected Muzuki, but in their hearts, the strongest in the Land of Rain was still Hanzo, because this impression had lasted for decades and was difficult to change quickly.

Muzuki repelling Hanzo was essentially equivalent to shattering the worldview of the Land of Rain Ninja, making it hard not to be shocked.

Muzuki also knew the impact this event would have on the Land of Rain Ninja, so he gave them ample time to buffer, not arranging any tasks.

After a brief rest, Nagato couldn’t help but ask Muzuki for guidance on Fire Release.

After this battle, Nagato realized that while he was proficient in various Ninjutsu, there was still a lot of room for improvement, whether it was simple Ninjutsu or powerful Ninjutsu.

While answering Nagato’s questions, Muzuki also taught Nagato a Fire Release Ninjutsu.

【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).】

Muzuki nodded inwardly. This reward was quite good.

Although he had already obtained Mastery-level Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation by grinding classes, his proficiency wasn’t high. Repeatedly receiving the reward could increase his proficiency.

However, for Muzuki, Nagato’s best reward was still the usual disciple feedback, which increased Muzuki’s Chakra every day.

【Disciple Nagato diligently cultivates Chakra, Chakra increased. Disciple Feedback Chakra +240.】

This 240 points of Chakra, if Muzuki wanted to obtain it by grinding classes, he would have to attend twelve small classes, yet it was just the reward Nagato produced in one day under Trust Level Two.

Muzuki saw the hope of Chakra freedom in Nagato. Perhaps in a few more years, after he entered Breathing Technique Chakra Mode, he wouldn’t need to rush to turn it off, and Armament Haki could also be used freely in conjunction with other Ninjutsu without worrying about consumption.

Since the content of this teaching was not particularly special, Muzuki did not specifically take Nagato to that barrier hut. Other Ninja Sect subconsciously came over to listen to the lecture, and later Muzuki simply gave a Fire Release class, and even Kakuzu listened intently.

Having defeated the current Ninja World’s strongest Water Release user with Fire Release, Muzuki’s Fire Release had extremely high value.

Muzuki lectured until evening, and due to time constraints, they simply ate at the stronghold.

In the evening, Kakuzu lay in his room, constantly replaying Muzuki’s lecture content.

“If this guy charged for his classes, he might earn more than me,” Kakuzu greatly admired Muzuki’s ability to explain.

Mastering something oneself and being able to teach it well to others are two different things. Teaching is also a talent.

After closing his eyes, Kakuzu suddenly felt like he had forgotten something.

“Wasn’t I planning to leave? How did I end up sleeping here?” Kakuzu only then remembered that he had told Muzuki their grievances were settled because he was planning to run away.

“But I haven’t had Sōsuke’s meal yet…” Kakuzu got up, then sat back on the bed, deep in thought.

He realized that whether he left or stayed, it didn’t seem to make much difference; he had no home to return to.

Previously, Kakuzu’s home was the Hidden Waterfall Village, but after being betrayed by the higher-ups, Kakuzu had no home. He had been freely wandering the Ninja World, going wherever there were highly rewarded Ninja.

“Someone like Sōsuke, and an organization like the Shinobi Sect, will likely clash with many strong individuals in the future. It will definitely be easy to encounter people with bounties.”

Kakuzu thought a lot. He recalled his initial battle with Muzuki; even then, he felt Muzuki was very strong, but based on Muzuki’s battle with Hanzo, Muzuki had actually held back.

Kakuzu also recalled his life being sealed within the Shinobi Sect by Muzuki. To deny Muzuki and the Shinobi Sect’s ideology, Kakuzu had continuously paid attention to the entire Shinobi Sect during his confinement, as he had nothing else to do.

Finally, thinking about today’s battle, Kakuzu ultimately lay back down on the bed.

Following the Shinobi Sect, he could encounter Ninja with bounties, and he could also attend Muzuki’s classes. It didn’t seem so bad after all. Moreover, Muzuki said he would treat them to a meal, and he hadn’t eaten it yet. He had to eat it before leaving; otherwise, wouldn’t it be a loss?

………………

“Sōsuke knows about the Rinnegan, but he doesn’t seem interested in it. Sōsuke’s strength is very high; he was able to suppress Hanzo’s Water Release with Fire Release even in the rain.” Black Zetsu told Uchiha Madara everything that happened in the Land of Rain.

“It shouldn’t affect my plan in the short term,” Uchiha Madara nodded slightly, not paying much attention to Black Zetsu’s later words.

To the Ninja of the Land of Rain, Hanzo was the strongest ingrained in their minds, but to Uchiha Madara, Hanzo was just an unfamiliar junior; how strong could he be?

Uchiha Madara equally looked down on everyone except Hashirama.

“Keep an eye on him and gather information about him,” Uchiha Madara thought for a moment and said.

Nagato held an important position in Uchiha Madara’s resurrection plan. His successor would guide Nagato. If Muzuki was still by Nagato’s side at that time, then Muzuki would be an obstacle that had to be eliminated.

Watching Uchiha Madara, who didn’t seem particularly concerned about Muzuki, Black Zetsu felt a little disappointed. He had thought Uchiha Madara might propose a solution to deal with Muzuki.

Black Zetsu greatly valued Muzuki. After the battle with Hanzo, the Fire Release level Muzuki displayed made his so-called sage art inheritance more credible. How could an ordinary person cultivate Fire Release Ninjutsu to such an extent? He had lived for thousands of years; did he not know the limits of ordinary Ninja?

“Madara is only capable of this much. This is fine too. As long as the Eye of the Moon Plan is completed, the final step will be very simple.” Black Zetsu prepared to find a way to deal with this Ninja named Sōsuke himself.