Onoki looked at the latest intelligence report from the Land of Rain and showed an interested expression on his face, "Ninja Master Sosuke, Ninja Sect, interesting."
He wasn't concerned about the legendary experiences of Mokgetsu; Onoki just had a feeling that this ninja was someone who liked to stir things up.
In just over a month, he went from obscurity to fame in the Ninja World and even gained a group of followers.
However, what Onoki regretted was that Mokgetsu was only stirring things up in the Land of Rain. If Mokgetsu were causing trouble in the other four great nations, Onoki would have happily jumped in to escalate the situation.
Onoki just wasn't very interested in the Land of Rain, as weakening the Rain Village didn't align with the Hidden Rock Village's interests.
He was hoping to use the Rain Village to annoy the Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud.
Although the strength of the ninjas within the village had exceeded ten thousand, Onoki wasn't in a hurry to make a full force attack. He wanted to deplete the forces of the other great ninja villages first.
Therefore, Onoki continued to implement his plan of stirring up conflicts, provoking disputes between ninja villages, and leading them into war.
In a dimly lit cave, as he listened to Black Zetsu's intelligence report, Uchiha Madara furrowed his brows.
"Have you investigated this guy named Sosuke?" Uchiha Madara asked in a deep voice.
Nagato held a critical position in his resurrection plan, so the sudden appearance of a strong person by Nagato's side was something Uchiha Madara worried about.
"I did investigate, but nothing was uncovered. Perhaps this guy really has been as he claims, training in seclusion," Black Zetsu replied, shaking his head.
In truth, Black Zetsu was more concerned about Mokgetsu than Uchiha Madara because Mokgetsu had claimed the name of the Ninja Sect and even said he had inherited its legacy.
If there was anyone Black Zetsu feared the most, it would definitely be the Six Paths Sage.
Black Zetsu could be considered the third son of Otsutsuki Kaguya, essentially the younger brother of the Six Paths Sage.
Regarding the brother who had sealed his mother, Black Zetsu had no countermeasures. While the Six Paths Sage was alive, Black Zetsu dared not make any moves.
Were there truly any inheritance from the Ninja Sect, Black Zetsu would only consider it the Six Paths Sage's fallback to prevent Kaguya's resurrection rather than any legacy from Indra and Asura.
Does Black Zetsu still not know about Indra and Asura's natures? Those two foolish boys were not to be feared at all.
Thus, Black Zetsu earnestly dispatched White Zetsu to investigate Sosuke's past.
However, Sosuke seemed as if he had just emerged from a stone; all the information Black Zetsu could find was what Sosuke had personally disclosed.
Black Zetsu pondered if this might be a fake identity, but Mokgetsu showed no signs of transformation ninjutsu. Even if the name was fake, some information should have been traceable based on his appearance.
After a comprehensive investigation, Black Zetsu believed the possibility that Sosuke really had been in seclusion for training, resulting in such investigative findings.
"Increase surveillance on Nagato's side," Uchiha Madara said after some contemplation.
For now, he didn't have a better plan; he couldn't just personally step out to kill the guy.
Though Uchiha Madara had confidence in his own strength, time had indeed worn down his body. Killing Mokgetsu might cost him a reduced lifespan and affect his overall plan.
Uchiha Madara wasn't overly anxious either. There was previously a strong ninja who appeared beside Nagato. If Mokgetsu had no knowledge of the Rinnegan or had no desire for it, he couldn't greatly disrupt his plans.
Black Zetsu nodded.
In fact, he had long since dispatched White Zetsu to monitor Nagato's side twenty-four hours a day. He was very concerned that Mokgetsu might be the Six Paths Sage's fallback.
Black Zetsu's mind even entertained a wild speculation: maybe Mokgetsu was the reincarnation of the Six Paths Sage's chakra.
That was possible. Which normal ninja would stay holed up in the mountains for training without ever emerging, only to come out and revive the Ninja Sect?
However, this speculation was too bold, and Black Zetsu also thought it unlikely. The means Mokgetsu had shown so far, while impressive, were still within normal bounds.
"It seems it's time to accelerate progress," Uchiha Madara planned to use his arrangements to further complicate the situation in the Ninja World.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes. To prevent major surprises, Uchiha Madara wanted to speed up the plans so he could pass away peacefully, waiting for resurrection.
Mokgetsu defeating Kakuzu attracted too much attention, and his bounty in the black market skyrocketed, directly reaching an astonishing forty million ryo.
It's a terrifying number, equivalent to Konoha issuing 40 S-level missions.
Although the bounty soared, Mokgetsu actually suffered fewer attacks.
The vast majority of bounty ninjas, upon hearing that the legendary blacklist ninja Kakuzu had fallen to Mokgetsu, dared not make any reckless moves.
Bounty ninjas indeed loved money, but they also valued their lives. After all, if they're dead, there's nowhere to spend their earnings.
After defeating Kakuzu, Mokgetsu and their group's rhythm of operations didn't change significantly, except that their team gained another person.
Because Kakuzu had a unique body, Mokgetsu specifically bought him a robe to avoid scaring ordinary people.
"Why care about those ordinary people?" Kakuzu wasn't particular about his attire but was curious.
"Just affording the respect they deserve; we're all humans, no one more noble than another," Mokgetsu replied seriously.
Kakuzu sneered, "Sounds nice, then why are there nobles? Aren't nobles inherently superior to others?"
"Nobles are born with fiefs and privileges, how is that equality?"
Many ninjas turned to look at Mokgetsu, very curious about how Mokgetsu would respond.
Among ninjas, this issue wasn't as prevalent; clan ninjas only had more resources and secret techniques than civilian ninjas. The gap between ordinary civilians and nobles was much larger.
"You're right, and that's why I believe the system of nobles enjoying privileges should be abolished," Mokgetsu responded with a faint smile.
Kakuzu widened his eyes as he looked at Mokgetsu; this was not what he had expected.
Mokgetsu didn't refute him; instead, he said something so "blasphemous."
"Do you know what you're saying? The Daimyo is the biggest noble," Kakuzu scrutinized Mokgetsu, seemingly seeing him anew.
In the Ninja World, the most privileged group were the Daimyo. Their descendants could enjoy wealth and power without lifting a finger, and their every word and action could decide the lives of countless civilians.
The other ninjas also looked at Mokgetsu with shock; those were the boldest words they'd ever heard.
"The Ninja Sect I'm going to create won't be the same as the one in history; it's a new Ninja Sect learning from past failures," Mokgetsu brought the topic back to the Ninja Sect.
Kakuzu thought Mokgetsu would evade the topic and was about to mock when he found Mokgetsu's next words even more explosive.
"Though the Six Paths Sage had great foresight, the Ninja Sect he created couldn't escape the limitations of its era. One thing that should never have been was adopting a hereditary system."
Mokgetsu was actually pointing out the shortcomings of the Six Paths Sage.
The ninjas were all surprised. It was known that Mokgetsu had always praised the ninjas of the Ninja Sect and the Six Paths Sage.
"We must learn from and absorb the good aspects of the Six Paths Sage and the ancient Ninja Sect, but we must also remove the impurities and be daring enough to critique them."
"No matter who it is, a mistake is a mistake. Don't blindly follow just because the person is an authority. If you ever find I've made a mistake, don't hesitate to point it out so I can correct it," Mokgetsu said sincerely.
Kakuzu momentarily didn't know what to say and could only secretly remember Mokgetsu's words, waiting for the day Mokgetsu contradicts himself. He didn't believe such a person truly existed in the world.
The other seventy-two ninjas also had a new impression of Mokgetsu.
"Sosuke-uncle makes sense; if I ever make a mistake, you all must point it out immediately. Don't be courteous because I'm the leader," Yahiko said with a smile to his Akatsuki members.
He felt Mokgetsu made perfect sense, but he couldn't have come up with such words himself in a lifetime, and his respect for Mokgetsu grew even more.
After that day, the content of Mokgetsu's lectures changed somewhat. Apart from ninja knowledge, Mokgetsu explained the integration of some knowledge from his past life with the ancient Ninja Sect and the realities of the Ninja World.