"I need to discuss with my companions before I can give a response." Mokgetsu did not immediately express an attitude.
The Rain Village ninja expressed understanding and retreated a bit.
"Uncle Sosuke, I think this is a great opportunity to quickly spread the philosophy of our Ninja Sect across the entire Land of Rain, and it also helps us achieve our goal of peace more quickly." Yahiko said excitedly.
He said this not because he idolized Hanzo or wanted to cooperate with him, but because Yahiko genuinely believed this was a perfect opportunity.
The Rain Village is the strongest ninja force in the Land of Rain, and even in the Ninja World, it ranks among the strongest beneath the Five Great Ninja Villages. The leader of the Rain Village, Hanzo, is also a top-tier powerhouse in the Ninja World. If they could cooperate as mentioned on the scroll from Hanzo, the influence of the Ninja Sect would take a qualitative leap.
After all, the Rain Village is the official force in the Land of Rain. If the Ninja Sect collaborates deeply with the Rain Village, it would be akin to becoming semi-official, practically gaining recognition from the Land of Rain.
If Hanzo had invited the Akatsuki organization of Yahiko, Yahiko probably would have agreed immediately.
"Indeed, the other party is Half-God Hanzo after all." A ninja of the Ninja Sect next to Yahiko agreed.
Most people recognized Yahiko's words, believing this was a great opportunity for the Ninja Sect and themselves.
Kakuzu, observing the excited Ninja Sect ninjas, showed a mocking expression on his face.
With his rich experience, he immediately sensed something was wrong. There was definitely some conspiracy in this so-called cooperation.
"Although this is a good thing, I feel something strange." Ike Masaya thought for a moment, then voiced his inner doubts.
"If we say our Ninja Sect is like a child with talent far beyond ordinary people, then the Rain Village is a well-known powerhouse. No matter how promising a talent is, it's unlikely a strong person would directly place them on the same level and propose cooperation, right?"
If the Rain Village offered some assistance to the Ninja Sect, Ike Masaya wouldn't think anything of it, at most considering that Hanzo had the foresight to see the great potential of the Ninja Sect.
But the meaning on Hanzo's scroll was to treat the Ninja Sect as an equal entity, hoping that they could cooperate with the Rain Village to maintain peace throughout the Land of Rain, which really overestimated the current state of the Ninja Sect.
The current Ninja Sect doesn't even have a hundred ninjas, with varying levels of strength among its members. Disregarding strong figures like Mokgetsu, the Ninja Sect could only be considered promising for the future.
After listening to Ike Masaya, many of the Ninja Sect ninjas were stunned.
There was nothing else to it; Ike Masaya's logical and well-founded expression was convincing.
"It seems to make sense; this cooperation sounds too good for us." Some wandering ninja-born Ninja Sect ninjas, after being reminded, also felt something was amiss.
Generally, if something looks like a pie falling from the sky, the pie is a disguise; the trap is real.
"I think this comparison underestimates our Ninja Sect and underestimates Hanzo's capacity. Perhaps it is Hanzo's intention to make us grow faster and bring peace to the Land of Rain more quickly." Yahiko retorted.
Yahiko was not someone who would be easily convinced; he had his own insistence.
In fact, he also knew Ike Masaya's words made sense, but Yahiko believed that sometimes being overly cautious would result in missing opportunities, and boldly moving forward could yield unexpected rewards.
Back when the Sannin battled against Hanzo, others avoided it for fear of being affected by the powerful ninjas' fight, but Yahiko chose to seek out the Sannin with Nagato and Konan.
Eventually, they learned skills from Jiraiya and gained the strength to achieve their dreams.
As Yahiko recounted his experience, the atmosphere on the scene shifted again.
"A rare success, huh, boss?" Hatosuke gave Yahiko a thumbs-up.
Yahiko's speech just now made even him enthusiastic, almost wanting to immediately agree to Hanzo's cooperation and fast-forward towards the dream of peace in the Land of Rain.
"Even if they're ninjas from enemy villages, as long as they display excellent qualities, Hanzo will not only let them go but also help them become famous in the Ninja World."
"Although we are not ninjas of the Rain Village, we are ninjas of the Land of Rain, same as Hanzo. Wouldn't Hanzo treat us better than enemy country ninjas?" Yahiko said with gleaming eyes, standing straight with a sincere expression.
Although he had never met Hanzo, the stories about him were enough for Yahiko to know that Hanzo was a ninja worthy of respect, so Yahiko was willing to believe this was Hanzo giving them a chance.
"I may not worship Hanzo, but his virtue is indeed impeccable." A ninja of the Ninja Sect agreed.
Hanzo's renown in the Ninja World was partly due to his strength and achievements, but also due to his character.
Ike Masaya opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to refute Yahiko.
Because Yahiko acknowledged his point; indeed, this matter was against common sense, but Hanzo was worth believing in.
The only way for Ike Masaya to counter Yahiko would be to prove Hanzo wasn't trustworthy.
Yet, this was something Ike Masaya couldn't do. The only stain on Hanzo was the chaos in the Land of Rain caused by his failure in war.
But Hanzo performed excellently in the war; it was the ninjas of the Rain Village, except for Hanzo, who were defeated. Therefore, this only blemish lost its significance.
Kakuzu revealed an unrestrained mocking smile. Yahiko was just too naive, so naive it was laughable.