262Xiao Nan, who joined the White Lotus SectAI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 262: Konan Joins the White Lotus Sect
Kakashi thought about it carefully.
In his memory, he hadn't come into contact with any strangers.
He had no clue as to how the Puppet Curse had been planted on him.
"The Puppet Curse is used by Puppeteers to control puppets, but I'm not a puppet, so what use is it against me?"
Kakashi noticed a logical blind spot and couldn't help but ask.
"Puppeteers don't just control puppets."
Sasori said indifferently, "High-end Puppeteers are often capable of controlling real people without them even realizing it."
Kakashi was taken aback.
He truly couldn't recall who he might have offended.
Or rather, he had offended many people throughout his life.
After all, as a Jonin performing missions, he was bound to deal with various Ninjas, and even fight to the death.
The most likely possibility was that some survivor who had slipped through the cracks had returned after completing their training to seek revenge.
Thinking of this, Kakashi couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
If the Puppeteer in the shadows had controlled him to attack Hana Rin and the child, he might have had to live in sorrow for the rest of his life.
The trauma he had finally managed to overcome would have become even more severe.
"There shouldn't be many such Puppeteers in the entire Ninja World."
Tsunade pondered for a moment and asked, "Sasori, do you know of any?"
As Kakashi was part of the Hokage's lineage, she naturally wouldn't sit idly by.
Furthermore, both the Third and Fourth Hokagehad spared no effort in helping Kakashi.
After Naruto's haphazard intervention, he had finally undergone a transformation.
He couldn't be allowed to revert to his 'dead fish' state.
"As far as I know, besides myself, only Chiyo can do it."
Sasori spoke without hesitation.
He practically didn't even consider himself a suspect.
His parents had died at the hands of Kakashi's father.
In terms of motive, he had the strongest one.
By the same logic, so did Chiyo.
Tsunade glanced at him.
Under the puppet's exterior, there was no change in emotion.
It was impossible to distinguish between a lie and the truth.
"The two of them wouldn't do such a thing,"
Naruto spoke up, "Unless they want to die."
A single sentence, radiating dominance.
But Sasori didn't react much; he just nodded and said, "I will not betray the Tianming Organization."
What would be the use of killing Kakashi? His parents couldn't be brought back to life.
Furthermore, Kakashi was Naruto's teacher; the price would be more than either he or Chiyo could bear.
Moreover, Sasori relied on the Tianming Organization to collect materials and research soul Ninjutsu.
He wouldn't risk losing the big picture for a small gain.
Tsunade nodded subconsciously; it truly wasn't necessary.
Needless to say for Sasori, and Chiyo wouldn't dare offend the Tianming Organization and Konoha either.
Otherwise, she would have acted against Kakashilong ago; why wait until now?
"Do you have a way to trace the source?" Narutoasked.
"We have to wait until the controller activates the Ninjutsu,"
Sasori thought for a moment and replied, "If it's never used, it's very difficult to track the controller out of thin air."
Naruto nodded slightly.
The logic was simple.
Only when it was being used would the traces left inside Kakashi's body connect with the controller's Chakra.
Otherwise, that thread wouldn't appear.
"Then it's perfect. Kakashi-sensei, go stay at Sasuke's house for a couple of days."
Naruto looked at him and suggested, "It's too dangerous here; neither Hana Rin nor the child is a match for you."
"..."
Kakashi was speechless.
Basically, you think I can't beat Sasuke.
Forget it, thinking about it, I really can't beat him.
And since Naruto was currently living at the Hyuga Compound, it wasn't suitable for him to go there either.
If he accidentally cut down some member of the Hyuga Clan, that would be a problem.
Hana Rin picked up the child, her face full of worry.
Although she understood that with the Tianming Organization around, there wouldn't be any real danger, her concern for her husband didn't lessen in the slightest.
Kakashi smiled and comforted her, saying, "I'll be back in less than two days. Besides, you can come over and visit if you have nothing to do. With Sasuke there, nothing will go wrong."
Hana Rin nodded silently.
Seeing this, Tsunade yawned and said, "Naruto, I'll leave the rest to you."
Ever since she started cooperating with the Tianming Organization, she had been as busy as a dog.
From morning to night, she couldn't get a moment's peace.
Every day was spent dealing with commercial disputes.
As it turned out, no matter how powerful a Ninjaclan was, when faced with enough profit, they were no different from petty street vendors.
The Tianming Organization brought not only diversified commercial trade but also a brand-new way of thinking.
In other words, it wasn't just about giving people fish.
Precisely because of this, it was exceptionally troublesome.
Many things had to be decided by her, the Hokage.
How should one put it?
Being Hokage wasn't about fighting and killing; it was about worldly wisdom and relationships.
Even the two retired hokage advisors, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, came to her door representing their families.
Tsunade had a massive headache.
Although Kakashi's situation wasn't something to be taken lightly, with the Tianming Organizationinvolved, she didn't need to worry about it.
Even if Naruto didn't care about others, he would certainly take special care of his teacher.
After some conversation, Kakashi and Narutoarrived at Sasuke's grand mansion.
Having inherited the Uchiha Clan's legacy and invested in the Tianming Organization's companies, Sasuke was now a genuine millionaire.
Although he had wanted to buy a two-story house, under Naruto's repeated persuasion, he had bought a large one instead.
The reason was that Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachiwould have more members joining them in the future.
Since that was the case, he might as well just buy a grand mansion.
As for the old Uchiha Clan compound, it was too remote and had been burned down, so he just left it as it was.
If Sasuke lived there, he would only be reminded of the past.
There was no need for that.
Naruto opened the main gate.
Sasuke was still practicing his swordplay in the courtyard.
And Sakura was watching him with a silly grin.
If it were someone a bit less attractive, they probably would have been hauled off to jail as a pervert.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura wiped the corner of her mouth, stood up, and bowed in greeting.
Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head.
This child was beyond help.
Sasuke stopped his movements and looked at the two of them in confusion.
Usually, he wouldn't see a soul, so why had they both come twice today?
Especially Naruto.
Aside from using him as a tool, Naruto never sought him out.
Could it be... he already had an ominous premonition.
Sure enough, once Naruto explained the situation, Sasuke knew he had work to do.
Monitoring Kakashi, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Why don't you do it?"
Sasuke agreed, but he still wanted to ask for the reason.
"I live at the Hyuga Main House,"
Naruto said as if it were obvious, "It would be too dangerous to let Kakashi-sensei in there. Besides, here, Sensei can guide you and let you relive the happy times of Team 7."
"..."
Sasuke was suddenly at a loss for words.
Happy times?
He wasn't so sure.
It didn't seem like there had been anything particularly happy.
Kakashi hesitated to speak.
Guide?
Are you sure you're not trying to get me killed?
Could it be you want to play that bell-snatching game again?
To be honest, the moment Naruto had pulled out those bells, he had nearly broken down.
He suspected this fellow wasn't Minato-sensei's biological son; otherwise, how could he be so outrageous?
But now, even if he were a salted fish dying of thirst, he still wanted to ask that question.
Minato-sensei, what kind of creature did you sire?
Not even fifteen years old, and he was already unrivaled in the Ninja World.
The last person this impressive might have been the son of the Six Paths Sage.
Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, on the other hand, had become famous in their youth.
"Sensei, you can teach Sakura Earth Release and Water Release,"
Naruto continued.
Kakashi's brow twitched; he was familiar with those.
Aside from Lightning Release, he was most proficient in Earth Release and Water Release.
The most classic example was the dog heads on his Earth Release: Mud Wall.
No matter how low on Chakra he was or how dangerous the situation, he insisted on carving dog heads on it.
"But why did Sakura think of learning those?"
Kakashi asked in confusion, "Her Medical Ninjutsuand Taijutsu should be enough."
"Just in case,"
Naruto shrugged and said, "According to my inside information, the next Hokage of Konoha will likely be Sakura."
"What?"
Kakashi was in a daze.
This plot was all wrong.
Why Sakura? Why not Naruto or Sasuke?
It wasn't that Sakura wasn't capable, but her two teammates were simply too monstrous.
"The three of us played rock-paper-scissors, and Sakura won in the end."
Naruto began to talk nonsense.
"???"
Kakashi almost couldn't catch his breath.
Could you guys be any more casual about this?
That's the Hokage! It's the most supreme position in the Ninja World!
"Uh, Sensei, it's not like that,"
Sakura quickly explained, "It's that Naruto and Sasuke were unwilling."
If word got out that the three of them played rock-paper-scissors to decide the Hokage, although it wouldn't cause much trouble, Tsunade-sensei and the others would definitely be angry.
"I see."
Kakashi was thoughtful.
This reason sounded quite plausible.
Besides, with Sakura as Hokage, rounding it off, it was basically like Sasuke being Hokage, and rounding it off again, wasn't it just Naruto being Hokage?
"Sensei, if you're not comfortable with that, how about you become the Sixth Hokage and Sakurabecomes the Seventh Hokage?"
Naruto asked again.
"No, no, no!"
Kakashi quickly waved his hands; being Hokagewas too hard on the body.
Just look at the current Tsunade; she was busier and more miserable than his Pakkun.
He might as well prepare for a second child with Hana Rin and see if he could break the Hatakefamily's tradition of being a single-child lineage.
Perhaps in the future, the Hatake could also become a great Ninja clan.
"Fine then."
Naruto didn't force him.
He felt that Kakashi had simply moved from one'salted fish' state to another.
A perfect illustration that even if a salted fish flips over, it's still a salted fish.
"I'll leave a Teleportation Array here; notify me immediately if there's a problem,"
Naruto said after a moment's thought.
"Teleportation Array?"
Kakashi was stunned.
"Correct, it connects two points in space for instantaneous transfer."
Naruto explained casually.
"This?!"
Kakashi suddenly became excited.
Although he was a salted fish, he also understood the significance of a Teleportation Array.
This was a powerful strategic asset.
If the wars of the past had had this, who knows how many fewer people would have died.
"Have you told Hokage-sama?"
"No rush."
Naruto waved his hand and said, "This thing is quite troublesome, and if it's promoted on a large scale and the Akatsuki Organization finds out, it will lose its strategic value."
Kakashi calmed down and nodded.
In any case, Naruto wouldn't do anything detrimental to Konoha.
After the Teleportation Array was set up, Narutoleft Sasuke's grand mansion.
Another day passed.
Konan and Karen arrived in Metropolis.
"We'll go find a member of the White Lotus Sectand interrogate them."
"There's no point in that."
Karen stopped her plan and said, "I have a suggestion: why don't we join the White Lotus Sect? It's hard to understand the true White Lotus Sect just by hearing things; only by experiencing it personally can one gain a deeper understanding."
"That's a bit of a waste of time."
Konan frowned slightly and said, "Before we left, Nagato told me to find out the details of the Tianming Organization as quickly as possible."
"That's the White Lotus Sect, after all; how could it be that easy?"
Karen shook her head and said, "And being so crude and simple would make the Tianming Organization angry, which would instead affect our Akatsuki Organization's plans."
"You have a point."
Konan nodded after a long silence.
Her opinion of Karen had actually improved.
She hadn't expected someone so young to be so considerate and thorough.
"With our strength, even starting from zero, we can quickly climb to the high ranks of the White Lotus Sect."
Karen smiled and said with great confidence, "The White Lotus Sect is the Tianming Organization, but the Tianming Organization is not the White Lotus Sect; there are opportunities to be exploited."
Thus, the two of them successfully joined the White Lotus Sect.
Joining the Tianming Organization was difficult, but joining the White Lotus Sect was not a hard task.
Ever since Lord of Heavenless had become the State Preceptor, the White Lotus Sect had naturally come to the surface.
However, it had not been established as the state religion.
After all, the White Lotus Sect was not a religion similar to Buddhism or Taoism.
It was more like a collective of people with lofty ideals.
It welcomed anyone with the will to join.
Whether they were Ninjas or civilians.
Of course, while joining was easy, it didn't mean promotion was easy.
The White Lotus Sect had a strict assessment system.
Konan and Karen could only be considered interns for now.
After registering, the two were led to a school.
"Are they going to brainwash us?"
Konan looked around and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
She naturally wouldn't have such thoughts about a normal school.
But it was indeed possible for some shady organization.
"Let's see first,"
Karen said with a smile.
Shortly after, someone gave them two student IDs.
According to the information on the IDs, they came to Class 2, Grade 3.
Why Grade 3?
Because they were Ninjas.
To better attract attention, they had maintained their status as Ninjas, specifically as Jonin.
"Principles of Dialectical Materialism?"
Konan was bewildered when she received her first book.
To be honest, because she was an orphan, she had only received three years of education from Jiraiyaand had never attended a Ninja Academy.
But she was certain that a Ninja Academy wouldn't teach this either.
"Your study period is six months."
The teacher standing on the podium, a man of about forty, stood with his hands behind his back and a serious expression:
"During these six months, you must learn the textbook knowledge and take examinations. Finally, based on your scores, you will be assigned to different positions accordingly. Of course, even if you are promoted, do not forget the textbooks, as you will be taking exams frequently in the future."
"Can we take the exam early?"
Karen raised her hand and asked.
"Yes, as long as you have enough confidence,"
The man said with a slight smile.
Konan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Six months was indeed too long.
And for a Ninja, learning knowledge was actually quite simple.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu was a divine tool for this.
Although her Chakra couldn't compare to Naruto's, it was still among the best in the Ninja World; creating a dozen clones was no problem.
It was just that Konan didn't realize what kind of impact learning the White Lotus Sect's teachings would have on her.
To put it somewhat bluntly, she, Nagato, and Yahiko were merely pursuing peace based on a surge of hot-blooded passion, essentially suppressing others with absolute military force.
Once they died or something happened, peace would be lost.
After all, no matter how painful a war was, there would always be some people who didn't acknowledge it, didn't care, and would start wars at will.
In a sense, the approach of Naruto and Sasuke at the end of the original work wasn't much different from Nagato's.
They all relied on individual strength.
But the teachings of the White Lotus Sect indeed pointed out another path.
It seemed more reasonable and more possible than the Akatsuki Organization's way.
Happy New Year, everyone! It feels like my schedule has been packed these past few days; it's so tough. Today I'm going back to my hometown for New Year's dinner, tomorrow I'll be visiting graves, on the second and third days I'll be visiting relatives, and on the fourth and fifth, I'll be taking the train back to the company. Truly, not breaking the update streak is a victory.