The Six Paths Sage's Ninja Sect failed on its own, so how could Mokgetsu manage to create an identical one?
"In the Ninja World, only interests are eternal. You'll never succeed," Kakuzu denied.
"How will I know if I don't try?" Mokgetsu's face remained a calm smile, unchanged by Kakuzu's words.
"Can a single drop of water extinguish a blaze? Some things are impossible without even trying." Kakuzu still dismissed Mokgetsu's idea, believing he was bound to fail.
"Why can't it work?"
Mokgetsu entered the Breath of Water Chakra Mode, compressed a large amount of Water Attribute Chakra into a single droplet, and shot it toward the remaining flames, extinguishing them completely.
Kakuzu fell silent; the level of control was beyond his understanding.
"Sosuke-sensei, you might as well stop wasting your efforts. A profit-driven Bounty Ninja like him can never become a true ninja," Ike Masaya said thoughtfully as he stepped forward.
Kakuzu glanced at Ike Masaya indifferently, "With the strength of a ninja like you, you're not worth my effort, and no one would put a bounty on a weakling like you."
At over seventy years old, Kakuzu wasn't about to fall for such a simple provocation, after all, he hadn't lived this long for nothing.
"If you and your group stay by his side, you'll eventually perish alongside his naivety," Kakuzu stated ruthlessly.
Had he not underestimated Mokgetsu's power and avoided targeting those not on the bounty, Kakuzu could have caused casualties to this team.
Kakuzu didn't believe his death would erase Mokgetsu's bounty—instead, it would surely increase, and significantly so.
By then, it might not just be individual Bounty Hunters attacking Mokgetsu; ninja forces might target Mokgetsu's Ninja Sect legacy.
"That is just your imagination. In reality, Sosuke-sensei is heading toward success, while it's you and those with your goals who are failing," Ike Masaya retorted.
"Everyone knows about danger; Sosuke-sensei warned us long ago. Avoiding danger is human instinct, but some things can surpass this instinct."
"Can naivety be contagious too?" Kakuzu sneered outwardly but had some unsettling thoughts internally.
This team was indeed a bit different from what he imagined.
Clearly, someone recognized him, yet they didn't run.
Kakuzu could tell the wandering ninjas following Mokgetsu didn't know his power either; they were all shocked when Mokgetsu used Fire Release.
Kakuzu was curious about what gave them the courage, that despite their weakness, they didn't flee and even dared to attack him.
"You're just spouting nonsense, thinking you're all-knowing. If you think we'll fail, then see for yourself whether we will," Yahiko joined in the Mouth Release.
"Join us on our journey through the Land of Rain. When the time comes, decide whether to join us or continue trying to collect a bounty on me," Mokgetsu concluded.
"But during the journey, I won't release the seal on you, for everyone's safety."
A flash of hesitation appeared on Kakuzu's face.
"I'll just have to see what other tricks you have beyond naivety," Kakuzu thought for a moment and agreed with Mokgetsu.
He felt that agreeing or refusing was just the difference between dying sooner or later; his naive self had died long ago, on the day he staggered back to the village heavily injured.