Chapter 508 Rewards for Advanced Classes

Land of Rain.

As news of the unrestricted lectures spread, the area around the Ninzong Base became lively.

Some Ninja from further distances arrived early and settled nearby, awaiting the formal commencement of classes by the legendary Ninja Master.

Since Sōsuke began his lectures at 9 AM, quite early, even the most interested Ninja from the nearby Land of Rain chose to arrive and stay the night before.

While the thoughts of others remained unknown, the inn and vendor owners next to the Ninzong Base were incredibly grateful to Sōsuke, wishing he would hold more such events.

As the leader, Lord Hanzo naturally couldn’t rush to the Ninzong Base early in the morning to attend the lecture, so he also arrived in advance.

Lord Hanzo, disguised as a wandering Ninja, observed the bustling crowds around him.

“Iwagakure Ninja, Sand Ninja, even Konoha has people here.” Looking at the mixed crowd, Lord Hanzo already anticipated the chaos that would follow.

Among those Ninja Villages, there were opponents currently engaged in battle; enemies meeting would naturally lead to conflict.

“Those intending to fight, please exit the town. Fighting within the town will be considered troublemaking, and all damaged items will need to be compensated.” A Ninja Sect patrolled and shouted.

Sōsuke had considered that too many Ninja might lead to chaos. His stance was that fighting was acceptable, but it should not disturb ordinary people or his lectures.

“They’ve certainly prepared a lot.” Lord Hanzo withdrew his gaze and returned to the inn but was drawn by a shout.

“That looks like Pakura, the Sunagakure Hero.”

Lord Hanzo discreetly searched the surroundings and saw Pakura, completely undisguised, at a street corner.

“This appearance, there’s no mistake, it’s the Sunagakure Hero with Scorch Release.”

“A Ninja of her caliber would actually come to listen to Ninja Master Sōsuke’s lecture?”

The wandering Ninja were incredibly surprised.

In their eyes, Pakura’s level was already very strong, an untouchable big shot.

Lord Hanzo scoffed inwardly. What was Pakura? Even he, Lord Hanzo the Demigod, had come out of curiosity.

Lord Hanzo estimated that if he hadn’t been disguised, tomorrow’s Ninja World headline would be about him and Sōsuke.

However, the content would likely not be very favorable to him, as his presence, after being defeated by Sōsuke and coming to attend his lecture, would clearly be proof of his submission.

Pakura noticed the gazes and faint whispers around her, but she didn’t pay them any mind.

Most of the people here were, to her, merely ants that could be crushed at any time.

“Kitsuchi, why is he in the Land of Rain again?” Lord Hanzo spotted Kitsuchi, who was also undisguised.

After discovering Kitsuchi, the surrounding wandering Ninja again gasped in surprise. Kitsuchi’s reputation was no less than Pakura’s, and even greater due to his identity as the Tsuchikage’s son.

“Even Kitsuchi, the Rock Fist, is here. Could there be other big figures who are disguised or haven’t shown themselves yet?” Someone speculated boldly.

Lord Hanzo silently returned to the inn.

“It’s really lively, as expected of Teacher Sōsuke. With one call, so many Ninja respond. If they could all join the Shinobi Sect, its strength would at least multiply several times over,” Yahiko exclaimed, surveying from a high vantage point.

Working alongside Sōsuke, Yahiko realized his own shortcomings were far too many. The original Akatsuki Organization would have found it incredibly difficult to grow to the current level of the Shinobi Sect.

“Uh, that’s probably impossible. Even wandering Ninja wouldn’t join an organization so easily,” Nagato replied after some thought.

“Moreover, many of them are Ninja from Ninja Villages, whether from the perspective of personal interest or…”

“Haha, of course, I know, I was just joking,” Yahiko interrupted, putting his arm around Nagato’s neck and laughing heartily.

He wasn’t so naive as to believe that. Strengthening the Shinobi Sect wasn’t done this way.

“But Nagato, you’ve really changed a lot. You feel increasingly formidable,” Yahiko praised.

Before, Nagato was very reserved, and one had to actively initiate conversation for him to give a slight response.

Now, Nagato could not only speak but also speak eloquently.

“Everyone has, after all, with Teacher Sōsuke’s guidance,” Nagato replied, looking into the distance.

To say Sōsuke had changed the Land of Rain might not be enough yet, but Sōsuke had indeed changed them, making them all better.

“Yes, it’s great that everyone is moving in a positive direction together,” Yahiko said with a smile, stretching his arms out.

If one were to say who recognized Sōsuke the most within the Shinobi Sect, Yahiko would be one of them, if not the absolute first. To prevent problems with the Shinobi Sect, he even disbanded the Akatsuki Organization that carried his growth and dreams.

…

The next day.

On the open ground of the Ninzong Base, the Ninja Master’s class, awaited by all, was about to begin.

There was no luxuriously decorated venue, no tables or chairs. Even Sōsuke, as the lecturer, only had a slightly raised platform so that others could see him.

Despite the humble conditions, most Ninja had no complaints.

The Ninja Master Sōsuke, famous throughout the Ninja World, didn’t even have a seat, so it was perfectly reasonable for them all to stand.

“This is Sōsuke, who defeated Lord Hanzo the Demigod. He looks so young, at most thirty years old.”

“Yes, such a young powerhouse, yet there was no news of him before he defeated Lord Hanzo. He truly kept his abilities hidden.”

Some Ninja were discussing Sōsuke’s combat achievements.

“I wonder what he’ll teach. I hope it’s not some basic Ninjutsu.”

“Sōsuke used Fire Release when he defeated Lord Hanzo. Fire Release is countered by Water Release, so normally he would be most proficient in Fire Release to do that. So perhaps he’ll explain Fire Release?”

Others were curious about the content of the upcoming lecture.

Lord Hanzo heard the discussions around him. He stared at the platform with an expressionless face.

Sōsuke stood on the platform, activated his Byakugan, and briefly scanned the audience below. Including the Ninja Sect, there were roughly a thousand people.

They were mainly Ninja from surrounding small Ninja Villages and various scattered Ninja, with fewer Ninja from the Great Ninja Villages.

This number was within Sōsuke’s expectations.

After all, it was currently the Third Shinobi World War, and not many Ninja had free time, or they might not have had the time to come.

If it were peacetime, the number would be higher.

Since there were many people, Sōsuke didn’t use Appraisal Technique on each one, but rather looked at the panels of Ninja with stronger Chakra.

【Name: Kitsuchi】

【Chakra: 68000】

【Skills: Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 4000/15000), Earth Release: Fist Rock (Proficient), Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique (Proficient)…】

After confirming there were no issues, Sōsuke began his lecture.

“Hello everyone, I am Sōsuke. I will be teaching you now, so please try to keep quiet,” Sōsuke said, amplifying his voice, while also releasing a certain degree of his own aura.

As a world where individual power exists, the Ninja World respects the strong. To prevent unnecessary minor troubles, Sōsuke didn’t mind letting some people know the value of Ninja Master Sōsuke before the lecture.

Powerful Chakra swept across the entire open ground. Some Chunin who were closer turned slightly pale, their hearts filled with dread.

“What a powerful aura,” Pakura thought, secretly startled.

Under Sōsuke’s gentle and reasonable explanation, the entire area became quiet. No one chatted anymore; everyone looked towards Sōsuke.

“The course will last for seven days and will mainly cover Chakra Nature Transformation and Form Transformation, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and so on,” Sōsuke briefly explained.

To aim for the S-rank advanced course reward, Sōsuke had put a lot of effort into preparing the lessons, because in addition to the number of attendees, the quality of the course would also affect the final score.

The attendees came from all over, from various Ninja Villages. To cater to everyone, Sōsuke had to teach content that would be useful to most people.

“Such broad content, will this really work?” Kitsuchi was somewhat surprised.

He had thought Sōsuke would teach what he was most proficient in, Fire Release, but now it sounded like Sōsuke was prepared to talk about everything.

“Chakra Nature Transformation, I believe everyone is familiar with it,” Sōsuke began his formal lecture.

Many Ninja below nodded. Except for extremely rare cases like Might Guy, most Ninja would focus on Nature Transformation in their training.

Stronger Nature Transformation allows for stronger Ninjutsu; Taijutsu Ninja are ultimately a minority.

“Earth Release can control the ground and change the hardness of all things.” Sōsuke formed a hand seal and created an earth pillar beside him.

“Wind Release can make your Chakra thin and sharp, like a blade, capable of cutting objects.”

Sōsuke placed his hand on the earth pillar, and wind blades surged from his palm, instantly cutting the pillar into large stone blocks.

“Lightning Release has strong penetrating power and is also suitable for diffusion.”

A burst of lightning shattered the stones, turning them into a pile of small rocks.

“Fire Release’s characteristics are temperature and combustion.”

Dazzling, high-temperature flames spewed from Sōsuke’s hand, adding more scorch marks to the rubble.

“Water Release Chakra is easily deformable, making it suitable for various shape transformations.”

After entering Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, Sōsuke waved his hand and created a stream of water that he could manipulate at will, transforming it into a soft whip and then a sharp sword under his control.

In the blink of an eye, Sōsuke completed the demonstration of the five Chakra Nature Transformation and explained their characteristics.

“How amazing! Although he didn’t say much, every word was essential,” a Ninja below exclaimed in his heart.

He practiced Wind Release Chakra Nature Transformation, and he felt that no matter how much his previous teachers said, its essence was actually thin and sharp, and one should delve deeper in that direction.

“Is that all?” Pakura felt a bit bored.

Although Sōsuke’s lecture was good, for a Ninja like her, this was basic knowledge.

“We all know that there is a restraining relationship between Chakra natures, and utilizing this restraining relationship well can give us an advantage in battle.”

“This is precisely an important reason why we must continuously delve deeper into Chakra Nature Transformation. As long as your Nature Transformation level is high enough, the restraining relationship is not absolute; Fire Release can also suppress Water Release.”

The Ninja nodded. Ninja Master Sōsuke’s current fame stemmed from his victory over Lord Hanzo in that battle using Fire Release, proving his exceptionally high Fire Release level.

Lord Hanzo’s face was stern. Although Sōsuke didn’t mention names, he felt that he had been singled out.

As Sōsuke delved deeper, Lord Hanzo became more serious. He wanted to know how he had lost that day. Despite having the geographical advantage of rainy weather, he still lost to Sōsuke, who was skilled in Fire Release.

Midway through the lecture, Sōsuke felt that simply speaking would be difficult to understand, so he had the crowd move back slightly. He then entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, compressed his Chakra, and flicked a spark onto the ground.

“Next, I will randomly select a Ninja to come up and try to extinguish it with water.” Sōsuke’s gaze swept over the crowd.

Lord Hanzo frowned and lowered his head slightly, trying to reduce his presence, while the Ninja around him were eager to try. This was an opportunity to interact with Ninja Master Sōsuke.

“I invite the friend wearing a mask to come up and try.” Sōsuke pointed at Lord Hanzo and said.

Lord Hanzo: …

He strongly suspected that Sōsuke had already recognized him; otherwise, why would he be chosen out of so many Ninja?

“What good luck! He hit a one-in-a-thousand chance,” the surrounding Ninja said to Lord Hanzo with envy.

Lord Hanzo was speechless. He only felt that his luck had completely run out.

Lord Hanzo walked towards Sōsuke with an expressionless face. He thought it might be a coincidence; his disguise ability was strong, and he had never interacted with Sōsuke, so he shouldn’t have been recognized.

With so many people watching, his refusal would be abnormal and might lead Sōsuke to discover his true identity.

To avoid being on tomorrow’s Ninja World headlines, Lord Hanzo didn’t want to be exposed.

“May I ask your name?” Sōsuke asked Lord Hanzo with a smile.

“Hattori,” Lord Hanzo replied casually.

“If you, Hattori, have mastered Water Release, you can try to extinguish the fire with Water Release. If not, we have a water hose available for your use,” Sōsuke explained the interaction rules.

Lord Hanzo nodded and looked at the high-temperature flame.

This flame was very unusual. Lord Hanzo could clearly feel that the temperature here was higher as he approached.

“Water Release: Wild Water Wave!”

After thinking, Lord Hanzo formed hand signs and used a basic Water Release, spitting it towards the flame.

Although he really wanted to use Water Release with full power to extinguish the fire, doing so would very likely lead to his exposure.

Sizzle!

The stream of water attacking the flame was rapidly evaporated, but the intensity of Sōsuke’s compressed flame did not diminish at all.

“Please use a stronger Water Release,” Sōsuke gave a new instruction.

Lord Hanzo used a little more strength, pretending to struggle, and spewed a thick stream of water towards the flame, but the result remained unchanged.

“Who else wants to try next?” Sōsuke temporarily let Lord Hanzo off and asked the crowd.

“Me! Me!”

“Choose me! I’m very good at Water Release!”

The Ninja eagerly volunteered to try and extinguish Sōsuke’s Fire Release.

Sōsuke used Appraisal Technique to select a few Ninja with decent proficiency and had them try.

Without exception, the Water Release was evaporated, and Sōsuke’s flame continued to burn.

The listening Ninja were all astonished, feeling that Sōsuke’s Fire Release was already superhumanly strong.

This was indeed the case. It was a perfect-level Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation, further enhanced by Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, and Sōsuke had also used compression techniques.

Although this flame was not comparable to the inextinguishable Amaterasu, it was not something ordinary Water Release Ninja could deal with.

“Interesting,” Pakura showed an intrigued expression. This pure Fire Release actually looked even stronger than her Scorch Release.

Sōsuke canceled the Ninjutsu, returned to the podium, and resumed his lecture, explaining the key points of Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation and Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation in an easy-to-understand manner.

“Is Sōsuke’s Water Release also very strong?” Lord Hanzo had a terrifying conjecture after listening to the lecture.

As he listened to Sōsuke’s explanation of Water Release, he actually gained considerable insights, feeling that there were indeed some aspects he hadn’t done well enough.

“It might also be that his foundations are solid or his theoretical knowledge is rich,” Lord Hanzo speculated inwardly.

Unbeknownst to them, time quickly reached one o’clock in the afternoon. When Sōsuke announced a break, many Ninja only then realized that four hours had passed.

Even Ninja who did not practice Water and Fire Chakra Nature Transformation were deeply engrossed. On one hand, Sōsuke lectured well, and on the other hand, Sōsuke would extend the content, occasionally touching upon other Nature Transformation topics.

“I came to the right place. I didn’t expect Sōsuke to have such a profound understanding of Water Release,” a Rain Ninja exclaimed.

Although there were some more profound contents that he couldn’t fully understand due to his level, it solidified his foundations and clarified his future path, with gains far exceeding his expectations.

“Yes, I also don’t know how things developed this way. I feel that Ninja Master Sōsuke is a very approachable strong person,” the Rain Ninja next to him said, puzzled.

Facing their former enemies and a large number of Ninja unrelated to the Shinobi Sect, Sōsuke could maintain such an attitude and teach seriously. He didn’t believe Sōsuke was as Lord Hanzo had advertised.

“Shh, don’t talk nonsense.”

The Rain Ninja quickly covered his friend’s mouth, then looked left and right, worried that there might be Rain Ninja Anbu present. He only relaxed when he found that only the wandering Ninja who had just interacted with the Ninja Master was nearby.

“Just learn seriously in class. Don’t think about things like Ninja Master Sōsuke being good and Lord Hanzo being bad.”

Although he also thought Sōsuke was good, they were ultimately Rain Ninja. Discussing a few words in private was fine, but if heard by certain people in public, they might be labeled as spies.

“One lesson yields such results. The title of Ninja Master is indeed not wrong at all,” Lord Hanzo thought as he looked at the Rain Ninja.

Because he had once wanted to eradicate the Shinobi Sect, Lord Hanzo had engaged in a series of negative propaganda against Sōsuke and the Shinobi Sect in Amegakure.

Now it seemed to be a futile effort, and it might even backfire on his reputation.

After an hour’s break, the class resumed, and not a single Ninja left.

In the afternoon, Sōsuke chose Lightning and Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation. There were too few Wind Release Ninja, so Sōsuke planned to lecture on it along with Yin-Yang Chakra Nature Transformation on the morning of the second day.

As the afternoon class ended, lines of black text flashed across Sōsuke’s panel.

【Completed a high-level lecture, starting settlement】

【Evaluation: S】

【Rewards: Chakra Nature Transformation Insight, Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation +10, Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation +122, Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation +96, Lightning Release…】

【First completion of a high-level lecture, gained skill—Enlightenment】

With Sōsuke’s thorough preparation, he ultimately succeeded.

The rewards for an S-rank high-level lecture seemed similar to intermediate-level lectures, but ‘understanding’ was replaced by ‘insight,’ and the skill improvement for various Nature Transformation-related abilities was greater. Sōsuke could feel that its effect was not just simply more panel proficiency, but it was difficult to examine in detail since it was the first time obtaining it.

Sōsuke shifted his gaze to the newly acquired skill.

PS: This chapter is 5k words. There will be another chapter later, but the time is uncertain. You can read it tomorrow morning.

I had writer’s block today, so I wrote slowly. I’ll have to stay up a bit. Recently, I’ve been getting recommendations, so I feel I should update more.