"This Land of Rivers mission will do," Mutsuki said as he picked up the scroll and handed it to the registering ninja.
In the Land of Rivers, there was a chance of encountering Hidden Cloud ninjas or Hidden Sand ninjas, but this battlefield didn't have any ninjas so powerful that Mutsuki couldn't handle them. Even if they were extremely unlucky and ran into the strongest person on the Land of Rivers battlefield, Mutsuki believed he could lead Shisui and the others to safety.
It was a high-risk mission, but it also offered the chance to train his disciples, which was Mutsuki's standard when selecting tasks.
Of course, it was still only a C-rank mission, and unless something unexpected happened, they likely wouldn't encounter any ninjas.
After completing the registration, Mutsuki showed the mission scroll to his disciples.
"Destination: Land of Rivers, let's go!" Anko, who had never left Konoha before, said excitedly.
The Hokage granted the privilege to carry out the C-Rank mission, and Anko had already figured out how she would brag to her good friends after completing the task.
She planned to start the conversation with, "How did you know I just finished a C-Rank mission?" Then, once they were curious, she'd reveal that the Third Hokage had granted the privilege.
"Anko, although you're excited, don't be in such a rush. You still need to take the client with you," Shizune reminded her.
Although Shizune wasn't on the same path as the average ninja, she was still a regular ninja and knew the basics.
"Oh right, the client," Anko said, suddenly stopping in her tracks as she had been heading toward Konoha's gates.
"Don't be so careless during missions; you almost forgot the client," Mutsuki said, tapping Anko on the head with his finger. He then led the group to meet the client.
The client was an ordinary-looking but rather composed middle-aged man.
"Thank you for taking on this mission," the middle-aged client said. Despite Anko and Shisui looking quite young, he did not underestimate them.
After all, Konoha, being one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, could not afford to tarnish its reputation.
Mutsuki nodded and didn't waste time with small talk, directly asking, "Do you have any other business here? We can depart anytime."
"I have no issues here, let's go now," the middle-aged client nodded in response.
Mutsuki then led Shisui and the others swiftly toward the Land of Rivers.
In order to increase the chance of encountering situations that would help train his disciples, Mutsuki made the most of the travel speed while still in the Land of Fire. Once they entered the Land of Rivers, he immediately slowed down.
Mutsuki explained to his disciples that the Land of Fire had good security, so they could afford to travel faster, while the current situation in the Land of Rivers was chaotic, and slowing down would provide better protection for the client.
Upon hearing the reasoning behind the travel speed, Anko nodded, appearing to have learned something.
Perhaps due to good luck, no incidents occurred along the way. Mutsuki and the others quickly arrived at the northernmost part of the Land of Rivers, at the base of Mount Iwamaki.
"These bandits are extremely ruthless. According to rumors, they've not only been raiding here but have even gone as far as the Land of Rain," the middle-aged client warned Mutsuki and his team before they set off.
While he trusted Konoha, the ages of Shisui and Anko were quite misleading, so he felt the need to give a little extra caution.
"Land of Rain... Is it very close to here?" Shisui asked, looking thoughtful.
Shisui hadn't met with his uncle for a long time, and during a conversation he had with Uchiha Nobuhiro, the latter had mentioned something about the Land of Rain.
If he remembered correctly, the Land of Rain was in some turmoil right now. First, the Hidden Rock Ninja appeared there for unknown reasons. Then, fearing an invasion, the Sand Village sent their own ninjas to the Land of Rain, and when the Hidden Cloud saw that their opponents were sending people there, they also dispatched ninjas to the Land of Rain.
Although the number of ninjas might not be very large, at this moment, the Land of Rain had ninjas from the three major ninja villages.
Given this chaos, Shisui believed there might be rogue ninjas among the bandits, as ordinary mountain bandits wouldn't dare to wander around in such a situation.
"The other side of the mountain is where they are," the middle-aged client explained.
Soon, Mutsuki said goodbye to the client and, following the mission's clues, began searching for the bandits. Shisui then shared his thoughts on the way.
"Good analysis. It seems you've been paying attention to what I've taught you," Mutsuki praised him without hesitation.
Though Mutsuki thought there were still some gaps, considering Shisui was only seven, it wasn't a problem. For a seven-year-old to think this much was already impressive.
So, where was Shisui lacking? He hadn't considered how their home village, Konoha, might react.
The Rain Ninja Village, being the only country in the ninja world that borders three major nations, is a rare strategic location. With so many ninjas from major villages entering such a place, how could Konoha remain indifferent? Mutsuki guessed that Danzo had probably already sent Root members into the Land of Rain.
"Shisui, Yumi-sensei, what are you guys talking about? Are we going to fight enemy ninjas next?" Anko asked, scratching her head in confusion.
She couldn't understand Shisui's analysis but knew what the outcome might be.
"Yeah, just be careful," Mutsuki nodded slightly and replied.
Upon hearing their conversation, Shizune felt a little nervous. She had never truly fought against ninjas before.
Under Mutsuki's lead, they successfully located the bandits' hideout. However, by the time they arrived, there were only two regular mountain bandits inside.
Clearly, these two ordinary bandits weren't responsible for the chaos, and Mutsuki deduced that the main group must have gone out to raid.
Next, Mutsuki used his usual method to separate the two and interrogate them, giving Shisui and the others a lesson on the prisoner's dilemma.
After seriously considering the logic behind it, Shisui had to admit that it was a very effective interrogation technique.
If both individuals absolutely trusted each other and would never betray the other, the method would fail. However, two ordinary mountain bandits were clearly incapable of reaching that level of trust.
Under Mutsuki's interrogation, the two bandits immediately spilled everything they knew.
As Mutsuki had suspected, the main group of bandits had left a week ago, leaving these two ordinary bandits behind to watch the hideout.
Additionally, Shisui's guess was confirmed: the leader of the bandits was actually a wandering ninja from the Land of Rain.
"Move faster, don't try any tricks."
At that moment, while searching around the bandit hideout, Shisui suddenly heard noises from outside.
He stepped out to investigate and saw a few more people outside.
Whoosh!
The moment Shisui stepped out, a Shuriken was hurled at him at high speed.
But Shisui was always prepared. He slightly tilted his body to dodge the incoming weapon, then quickly drew a Kunai from his ninja pouch.
He had noticed the people outside didn't look like regular bandits, so he hadn't acted immediately. However, since they attacked, they were now enemies.
"Namiki, don't act rashly. These are no such small-time bandits," Yahiko shook his head and said to Namiki Kikou.
Namiki Kikou looked at the bandit leader, whose hands were tied in front of the group.
"You little brat, you're underestimating me. Even a ten-year-old with a knife can kill," the bandit leader grinned and hinted.
Although he didn't recognize Shisui, it didn't stop him from hoping that Shisui and the others might cause trouble for Yahiko's group.
The bandit leader was furious. They were peacefully robbing villages when suddenly they were wiped out by nosy ninjas. He despised Yahiko and his team for that.
"Yahiko, this guy is no slouch. He might be the successor they've specially trained," the bandit leader hinted, and Namiki Kikou thought that Shisui, appearing in the bandit hideout, must be no ordinary ninja.
At that moment, Shizune and Anko noticed the movement and quickly rushed to Shisui's side.
"So you're Konoha ninjas," Yahiko said, realizing with a look of understanding as he saw the headband on Shizune's forehead.
Since Shisui was still an intern ninja, without the Konoha headband, Shizune's arrival clarified Shisui's identity as a Konoha ninja on a mission.
Upon hearing the words "Konoha Ninja," Nagato, who had been following Yahiko, instinctively moved his fingers, but quickly calmed himself.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Shisui asked in a low voice, holding his Kunai.
Although the newcomers appeared to be older and more experienced ninjas, Shisui remained unfazed. After all, they were out on this mission with Mutsuki.
"I'm Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki Organization in the Land of Rain," Yahiko introduced himself briefly before apologizing. "Sorry about the misunderstanding. My companions thought you were bandits, so they acted."
"We encountered a group of bandits in one of the villages in the Land of Rain, and after dealing with them, we were worried about any remaining forces that might retaliate against the villagers, so we came over here."
"Leader of a ninja organization?" Shisui thought this was a bit strange.
Shisui knew that ninja organizations existed in the ninja world, but Yahiko seemed too young. He looked only about thirteen or fourteen, not much older than they were.
"You must have taken a mission related to this group of bandits. We saved you some trouble, so don't worry about what happened earlier," Yahiko said with a smile.
Shisui remained silent, waiting for Mutsuki's decision.
Although Mutsuki had not yet shown himself, Shisui knew he was already there. After all, Anko and Shisui could both sense the movement, so it was impossible for Mutsuki not to be aware.
As Shisui had expected, Mutsuki had indeed arrived, and he had actually detected Yahiko and the others earlier than Shisui, as he had activated his Byakugan while searching for the bandits.
[Name: Yahiko]
[Chakra: 7300]
Potential: S-
[Skills: Water Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 100/15000), Water Release: Wild Water Wave (Proficient), Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet (Proficient)...]
Given Yahiko's current age, this panel marked him as a genius ninja. Mutsuki estimated that if Yahiko didn't die young, he could probably eventually become a Kage-level ninja on his own.
[Name: Konan]
[Chakra: 8000]
Potential: S
[Skills: Paper Secret Jutsu (Proficient: 2000/3000), Paper Shuriken (Proficient)...]
Konan's potential is slightly higher than Yahiko's, but at their current stage, their strengths are almost on par.
Mutsuki finally looked at Nagato. He had a hunch that Nagato's potential might surpass anyone he had ever encountered, considering the combination of the Rinnegan and the Uzumaki Clan.
[Name: Nagato]
[Chakra: 605000]
Potential: SS+ (Six Paths Bloodline + Rinnegan + Base Talent)
[Skills: Fire Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 1000/15000), Wind Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 750/15000), Yang Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Water Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery)...]
Nagato's panel could only be described as extraordinary. His potential even exceeded SS, reaching SS+, with all Chakra Nature Transformations except for Yin being at Mastery level. Although the proficiency level isn't very high, possessing Mastery in six different Nature Transformations is incredibly terrifying. Additionally, Nagato possesses hundreds of Proficient-level Ninjutsu, making his Ninjutsu arsenal incredibly vast.
Of course, what caught Mutsuki's attention the most was the terrifying amount of Chakra Nagato possessed.
Mutsuki was truly tempted. Considering Nagato's current age, he still had a lot of room to grow. If Mutsuki could somehow teach him and get a return from him, the Chakra he would gain would be several times more than all of his other disciples combined.
Although Mutsuki was very interested, he knew it wouldn't be an easy task and there were many challenges involved.
First of all, the idea of becoming Nagato's sensei itself was quite difficult. Nagato had already been taught for three years by Jiraiya and had developed a great sensei in his heart. Furthermore, with Nagato's mastery of six Chakra attributes and his vast Ninjutsu skills, his need for a sensei was not as pressing.
Another issue was that Nagato might not be fond of Konoha Ninja, given that his parents were killed by Konoha Ninja.
Mutsuki's desire to become Nagato's sensei had to overcome not only Nagato's personal issues but also two other factors: Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara.
Nagato's Rinnegan was transplanted by Uchiha Madara, and even if Madara was ambitious, he wouldn't just give Nagato the Rinnegan without keeping an eye on him. There was definitely some covert surveillance. Black Zetsu, on the other hand, was even more concerning. Black Zetsu had been scheming for over a thousand years for the Rinnegan, and in fact, Black Zetsu valued the Rinnegan even more than Uchiha Madara did, since the Rinnegan was crucial for Kaguya's resurrection.
"They really don't have any malicious intent," Mutsuki said, appearing beside Shisui.
Becoming Nagato's sensei required a well-thought-out and meticulous plan, and Mutsuki wasn't in a hurry.
In the original story, Nagato's descent into darkness was the result of multiple factors, with one of the instigators, Obito, still being under ten years old. Mutsuki had plenty of time.
"That was fast!" Yahiko was a bit surprised; he hadn't noticed when Mutsuki arrived.
Although Mutsuki was young, his position as the leader of a Ninja organization showed his strength; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to command respect.
Knowing Mutsuki's strength, Yahiko was even less inclined to conflict with this group of Konoha Ninjas, as it would cause trouble for Land of Rain.
With Mutsuki speaking, the two sides quickly reached an understanding: it was all a misunderstanding.
"Yumi-sensei, how strong were those people just now?" Shisui asked, looking at Yahiko and the others leaving.
"Strong. Two of them, you might not be able to handle, and one of them could probably take you down in an instant," Mutsuki thought for a moment before replying.
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