"Uncle Sosuke, do you know the Rinnegan?" Nagato remained silent for a moment before choosing to trust Mutsuki.
"I know," Mutsuki nodded with a smile. "It's the eyes of the Six Paths Sage, and they're right in front of me."
Nagato stared at Mutsuki in astonishment. So Mutsuki had already recognized his Rinnegan without him realizing it.
"No need to be too surprised. Actually, there are quite a few descendants of the Six Paths Sage in the world. Anyone familiar with information about the Six Paths Sage can recognize your eyes," Mutsuki explained.
Nagato showed a look of newfound understanding. When he saw that Mutsuki remained silent, he realized that Mutsuki wanted him to tell his story.
"Although these are my eyes, I still can't fully control their power. The first time I discovered I had this ability was the day my parents were killed by Konoha Ninja." Nagato's expression darkened as he spoke of his parents' death.
This was a painful memory he could never forget. He had originally been a child with both parents.
Mutsuki lightly patted Nagato on the back. In the original story, Nagato's life had been among the more tragic ones, even within the world of the Naruto.
Chosen by Uchiha Madara to have the Rinnegan transplanted, his life was constantly orchestrated, always losing important people.
"Because of my parents, I hated Konoha Ninja. But there was one Konoha Ninja who changed my view of them—Jiraiya sensei." When speaking of Jiraiya, Nagato's expression lightened a little.
If Nagato had a ranking of the most important people in his heart, first would be Yahiko, second Konan, and third, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya taught Nagato many Ninjutsu, aiming to help him better control the power of the Rinnegan. At the same time, Jiraiya often encouraged Nagato and comforted him when he felt down.
Even today, Nagato would occasionally dream of the times spent with Jiraiya. Those days were truly carefree and joyful, without the need to think about too many things.
Jiraiya made them realize that not all Konoha Ninja were bad; it depended on the individual.
"Sannin Jiraiya? I know him. He's an extraordinary Ninja," Mutsuki replied with a smile.
"Jiraiya sensei taught me a lot. Last time, when Yahiko was attacked by Ninja, I couldn't control the power of the Rinnegan and ended up killing the attackers. Honestly, I didn't want to kill anyone—I knew there were better solutions than killing.
But at that moment, my mind was filled with hatred. By the time I came to my senses, they were already down, and it was too late," Nagato said, his head slightly bowed.
Nagato disliked killing; he saw it as the worst outcome. So killing because the Rinnegan went out of control brought him the agony of losing himself.
"Don't deny yourself like that. If you hadn't acted, someone might have been hurt, but you protected your companions," Mutsuki said, looking into Nagato's eyes.
"And since they attacked you first, your counterattack was only natural. Their deaths are not your fault."
Nagato looked at Mutsuki, and behind Mutsuki, it seemed as if a familiar white-haired figure appeared.
"Uncle Sosuke, how do you think peace can be achieved?" Nagato asked on impulse.
He wanted to know if Mutsuki's answer would be the same as Jiraiya's.
"If you're asking whether there's a plan that can definitely achieve peace, then I certainly don't have one," Mutsuki replied.
"But if you mean working toward peace, that's actually what we're doing."
"Spreading the idea of peace, raising public awareness, improving one's own abilities…"
Nagato looked at Mutsuki again. The white-haired figure behind Mutsuki had disappeared—they were ultimately different.
Jiraiya's answer back then had been more ambiguous.
He had said he didn't know the answer, then added that experiencing pain helps people grow, learn to think, and understand how to treat others gently. If everyone could understand each other, perhaps a world of peace would arrive.
Before leaving, Jiraiya entrusted Nagato with the great responsibility of seeking peace. He believed that with the Rinnegan, Nagato might be the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage, and that peace was entrusted to Nagato's eyes.
Nagato felt that Mutsuki resembled more closely what Jiraiya described as a savior.
The Six Paths Sage traveled the Ninja World spreading peace and founding the Ninja sect, while Mutsuki traveled across the Land of Rain spreading peace and founding the Ninja sect.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Even though you have the same eyes as the Six Paths Sage, you don't need to compare yourself to him. You are you—you are Nagato, not anyone else," Mutsuki said earnestly.
To him, Nagato tended to pile pressure on himself.
That kind of personality was troublesome; human endurance has limits, and excessive pressure eventually leads to collapse.
If it had been Obito going berserk and eliminating all enemies, he wouldn't feel guilty—he would just show off in front of Rin and Kakashi.
Of course, Mutsuki wasn't saying Obito's approach was ideal; he thought a balance between the two would be better.
Nagato shivered—these were words Jiraiya had never said to him.
Compared to Jiraiya telling him he was the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage, a savior, Nagato realized he actually preferred Mutsuki's words: "You are you; you are Nagato."
In Nagato's mind, Mutsuki's image gradually became richer. He was someone truly worthy of recognition.
"If you don't mind having another sensei, I could try teaching you some Ninjutsu. Hopefully it will help you control your Rinnegan," Mutsuki said with a smile.
"I've already been learning from you, haven't I?" Nagato replied honestly.
He had been paying full attention in Mutsuki's lessons.
[Establish a master-disciple relationship with Nagato?]
Seeing the system panel pop up, Mutsuki smiled. "Of course, but next I'll teach you some more special Ninjutsu."
Without a doubt, Mutsuki clicked yes immediately. It was the first time he had invested so much effort during the disciple acceptance phase.
He had spent a long time planning to take Nagato as a disciple; the actual actions would take even longer.
[Relationship established successfully. Current trust level: 2. Disciple Nagato unlocked "Return of Apprenticeship" and "Return of Teaching."]
The initial trust level was 2, which satisfied Mutsuki. It showed that Nagato already had some trust in him.
Mutsuki valued Nagato's trust level highly. After all, he took Nagato as a disciple because of Nagato's Chakra. The higher the trust level, the more effective "Return of Apprenticeship" would be.
Nagato's current Chakra was over 600,000. Mutsuki estimated that Nagato's peak growth would reach over five million. If he could raise the trust level to 4 before the rapid growth period, Mutsuki would no longer worry about Chakra.
Mutsuki had calculated this: gaining Chakra through missions or training alone could never match the output of those Sage Body and Jinchūriki. He needed to take a special disciple and use Return of Apprenticeship.
Even earning 50,000 Chakra per year would only total 500,000 in ten years. But with a disciple like Nagato, combined with trust level 4, ten years could yield over ten million Chakra.
This was why Mutsuki was so eager to take Nagato as a disciple—the Chakra gains were enormous.
"You've had a long day; get some rest early," Mutsuki said warmly to Nagato.
It was already late, not a suitable time for teaching. Considering Nagato's Rinnegan, Mutsuki also had to be cautious of potential monitoring by White Zetsu.
Mutsuki had already taken these things into consideration before coming to the Land of Rain.
With his current Sealing Jutsu, he was capable of setting up a barrier that White Zetsu couldn't eavesdrop on. He would teach Nagato inside that barrier.
The reason was simple: Nagato's Rinnegan was special, and to prevent him from losing control and hurting others, a special environment was necessary.
Nagato nodded. He really was exhausted today—physically and mentally.
...
The Rain Ninja dispatched by Hanzo moved quickly.
They first visited and questioned villagers at the location Danzo had provided, obtaining two pieces of information:
One, someone had witnessed Yahiko's group fighting with Hidden Rock Ninja;
Two, Yahiko's group had searched for the corpses of those Hidden Rock Ninja.
With these two pieces of evidence, it was almost certain that Yahiko and the others had killed the Hidden Rock Ninja.
The Rain Ninja then investigated the teachings spread by the ninja sect followers. They found that it didn't differ much from what Danzo had said.
Looking at the intelligence in his hand, Hanzo's expression darkened.
He had once admired Mutsuki and even given him warnings, but he never expected Mutsuki to repay him like this.
Even though Mutsuki hadn't done these things personally, Hanzo saw him as the leader of that group of ninja, so Mutsuki had to take responsibility.
Seeing this, Danzo continued fanning the flames:
"In my view, this Sosuke must be plotting to seize control of the Rain Ninja Village. He wants to lure you, Hanzo, into a war with Hidden Rock so he can reap the benefits from behind the scenes."
"Hanzo, you're too lenient with geniuses. They don't have the willpower that you and I do. The moment they gain power, fame, or wealth, they're corrupted."
"We really do need to deal with this," Hanzo said with a cold face. This was something he could not tolerate—Mutsuki and the ninja sect's actions had crossed his bottom line.
Danzo's smile grew wider. Things were heading exactly the way he wanted.
"My men have covered things up a bit, so Hidden Rock shouldn't find out too quickly. If you don't want to go to war with them, Hanzo, you can eliminate those people as soon as possible. It'll serve as an explanation to Hidden Rock," Danzo added.
He was already eager to see the three forces in the Land of Rain destroy each other, ideally leaving both sides badly wounded.
"Thanks for this, Danzo." Hanzo felt that Danzo was actually quite useful.
"I have another method that can make dealing with Sosuke and his group even easier for you," Danzo began to strategize.
Hanzo looked at Danzo curiously, wondering what this easier method could be.
"Sosuke claims he wants peace, right? You can use the excuse that you want to borrow their strength to maintain peace and invite them to a certain location. All we need to do is set up a trap and ambush the ninja there, and victory becomes much easier," Danzo said with a cold sneer.
In his view, a naive peacekeeper like Sosuke was the easiest to deal with—just a few lofty slogans and you could lure him right in.
Hanzo showed a look of approval. Danzo's plan was indeed highly feasible and could make his victory much easier. Even for a ninja of his level, having the advantage of terrain made a significant difference.
"I'll dispatch Konoha Ninja to assist you then, but I hope you can support me in other matters in the future as well," Danzo hinted.
"Mutual help is what friends are for," Hanzo replied without objection.
Hanzo didn't mind having another strong ally like Danzo, especially since this time Danzo had really done him a significant favor.
Without Danzo, the Rain Ninja Village might have already gone to war with Hidden Rock Village.
Once the plan was finalized, Hanzo quickly sent a messenger to locate Mutsuki.
At this time, Mutsuki had just completed his tour of the Land of Rain. His ninja sect was officially established, and all the ninja except Kakuzu had joined it.
At first, Yahiko was somewhat concerned about the Hidden Rock Ninja incident, but since there was no follow-up for the time being, he didn't pay much attention and focused entirely on expanding the Akatsuki.
He believed that the Akatsuki and the ninja sect were not in conflict. Strictly speaking, the ninja sect was different from a ninja organization; it was more like a belief. Everyone recognized the ideas of the ninja sect and aspired to peace.
Indeed, some ninja were persuaded by Yahiko to join the Akatsuki. On one hand, the Akatsuki already had a small reputation in the Land of Rain; on the other hand, during their time with the Akatsuki, they discovered the Akatsuki's impressive points.
However, more people still wanted to continue following Mutsuki, waiting for his next orders.
During this period, a messenger from the Rain Ninja Village arrived with Hanzo's proposal for Mutsuki.
"Sosuke-sama, this is a handwritten letter from Hanzo-sama. Please be sure to read it carefully," the Rain Ninja Village ninja said, presenting a scroll to Mutsuki.
By now, Mutsuki's alias was well-known in the Land of Rain; most of the Land of Rain ninja recognized him.
Mutsuki nodded slightly and took the scroll, opening it to read the contents.
Yahiko curiously leaned over to see as well.
"Inviting the ninja sect to help maintain peace in the Land of Rain!" Yahiko's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise.
The other ninja crowded over to look too.
Mutsuki did not stop them. To accommodate those who couldn't see clearly, he read the entire scroll aloud.
Most of it was just filler; the essential point had already been shouted out by Yahiko: Hanzo wanted to cooperate with the ninja sect.
Many of the ninja sect's ninja showed expressions of shocked joy.
Hanzo was a special figure to the ninja of the Land of Rain. For them, this scroll was almost equivalent to Hanzo personally saying, "I recognize you," which carried considerable weight.
Yahiko, who idolized Hanzo, was extremely excited, especially since he was now a member of the ninja sect.
Of course, some weren't impressed by Hanzo, like Ike Masaya, who felt something was off.
Ike Masaya did not deny that the ninja sect had a bright future, but at present, the ninja sect was not very strong; the only real powerhouse was Mutsuki.
Under normal circumstances, Hanzo wouldn't need to formally extend a cooperation invitation to the ninja sect. If he wanted Mutsuki's combat strength, he could have simply tried to recruit Mutsuki directly.
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