After Hanzo's defeat, the title of Ninja Master Sosuke quickly spread throughout the entire ninja world.
The impact of this event caused a sensation far greater than any previous one.
Kakuzu was strong, but his reputation in the ninja world was relatively average; only some powerful ninjas or those involved in the black market knew him.
Hanzo was different-ninjas from all the great and small villages, as well as wandering ninjas from various countries, knew of a top-tier warrior named Demigod Hanzo.
Even among ordinary people, Hanzo was extremely famous, a true force that commanded respect across the ninja world.
So when news spread that Hanzo had been defeated by Ninja Master Sosuke and the Ninja Sect, it circulated extremely fast, which, in the current chaotic ninja world, was a shocking event.
However, the speed of this news spreading wasn't solely because of Hanzo's fame; there were also people secretly fanning the flames.
Mutsuki was somewhat surprised when he learned how quickly the news had spread, as he had not instructed the Ninja Sect to deliberately publicize the matter.
As for the ninjas from the Rain Ninja Village, they were even less likely to spread it on their own, since the village had issued a denial after the news broke, stating that their leader Hanzo had not acted and certainly had not been defeated.
Of course, the denial from the Rain Ninja Village had little effect; instead, it further confirmed the truth of the news.
This was because the Rain Ninja Village only made a statement and did not take immediate action, as if wary of something.
Additionally, the circulated news contained too many details; even the location of the battle was clear. Some ninjas went to check and indeed found evidence of a fierce battle between powerful ninjas.
Considering all factors, Hanzo's defeat was confirmed, and Ninja Master Sosuke was recognized as a top-tier ninja in the world skilled in Fire Release.
Mutsuki guessed that Danzo might have been behind this, as it could further inflame the conflict between the Ninja Sect and the Rain Ninja Village.
However, Mutsuki didn't care much. For the Ninja Sect to grow and spread its philosophy, conflict with the Rain Ninja Village was inevitable, and this situation wasn't without benefits-at the very least, their reputation had spread, and ninjas who agreed with the Ninja Sect's ideals would voluntarily join.
...
Hidden Rock Village, Tsuchikage building.
Kitsuchi personally handed over the intelligence he had gathered in the valley to Onoki.
"Tsuchikage-sama, Hanzo intended to cooperate with us to eliminate the Ninja Sect. Should we work with him?" Kitsuchi asked after Onoki had set down the documents.
"Although Hanzo couldn't defeat Sosuke, it's not easy for Sosuke to defeat Hanzo either."
Having watched the battle in full, Kitsuchi was very clear about the strengths of both.
In raw power, Mutsuki was much stronger than Hanzo, able to use Fire Release to suppress Hanzo's Water Release, but Mutsuki couldn't deal with Hanzo's Salamander Poison Mist. On top of that, Hanzo had perfected the Water Body Flicker Jutsu, making it far from easy for Mutsuki to defeat him.
Onoki shook his head and asked Kitsuchi, "Why cooperate to eliminate the Ninja Sect? What benefit does this bring to Hidden Rock?"
"If the ninjas at the border were truly killed by the Ninja Sect, I think we could cooperate with the Rain Ninja. We can't let our village's ninjas die in vain; we must avenge them," Kitsuchi explained.
Before investigating the matter thoroughly, Kitsuchi wouldn't act recklessly, but if it really was the Ninja Sect's doing, he wouldn't let them off just because Mutsuki was strong.
A trace of disappointment crossed Onoki's face. Caring for the village's ninjas was good, but to become a Kage, one needed more than that.
"This incident could not have been caused by the Ninja Sect ninjas." Onoki rummaged through some papers on his desk and tossed a document to Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi took the document and began flipping through it, discovering records of the various deeds the Ninja Sect had done during their travels-helping villagers solve problems and combating bandits.
"This is a ninja faction that aspires to innocent peace. They have no reason to kill ninjas from the Great Ninja Villages; such an act would bring disaster to the Land of Rain," Onoki explained.
In Onoki's view, the only plausible reason for a conflict between the Ninja Sect and Hidden Rock ninjas would be if Hidden Rock ninjas attacked a Rain Ninja village and happened to be seen by the Ninja Sect.
But attacking Rain Ninja Village was not part of Hidden Rock's scope of work. Their main objective in the Land of Rain was to stir up conflict between Konoha, Hidden Cloud, and Sand.
Even if the two sides clashed, judging by the behavior of the Ninja Sect ninjas, Onoki believed they wouldn't have killed all of the Hidden Rock ninjas.
Based on his experience in handling incidents, Onoki judged that it was highly likely another faction had killed the Hidden Rock ninjas and framed the Ninja Sect.
Which faction was responsible, Onoki couldn't determine, because ever since the news that Sosuke carried the Ninja Sect's legacy spread throughout the ninja world, many had their eyes on the Ninja Sect and Sosuke-especially after Sosuke defeated Kakuzu.
"Given the Ninja Sect's reputation, that's true, but all the current evidence points to individual ninjas within the Ninja Sect. Perhaps this was the act of some rogue Ninja Sect members," Kitsuchi said after some thought.
"Then continue your investigation in the Land of Rain, but don't get involved yet," Onoki said with a slight sigh.
If Kitsuchi had said that the Ninja Sect's potential was too great and could become a threat to Hidden Rock in the future, Onoki wouldn't have been so disappointed. Kitsuchi's approach to this matter was far too cautious.
Kitsuchi bowed respectfully and left the Tsuchikage's office.
"There are too few talented people in the village," Onoki thought as he watched Kitsuchi's back.
After a long period of recovery and development, Hidden Rock's ninja forces had grown quite well. The number of combat-capable ninjas in the village had surpassed ten thousand. But what worried Onoki was that Hidden Rock still hadn't produced a successor he was satisfied with.
Kitsuchi was strong, but his personality was too honest and straightforward, unsuitable to become Tsuchikage. Others with the right personality were too weak in strength to command respect.
...
Land of Lightning, Raikage's office.
"What kind of legacy does Sosuke possess? Could it be the Six Paths Sage's Ninjutsu?" After reviewing the information, the Third Raikage became somewhat interested in Sosuke.
Although Rain Ninja Village's strength was lacking, the Third Raikage acknowledged Hanzo's power. Anyone who could defeat Hanzo was definitely no ordinary ninja.
Hidden Cloud Village believed in the existence of the Six Paths Sage, as the village had descendants of the Sage and even possessed some of the Sage's tools.
"Raikage-sama, should we deploy our forces in the Land of Rain to investigate the Ninja Sect legacy in Sosuke's hands?" Dodai asked.
"Not for now," the Third Raikage refused.
Although he was a little curious, with wars breaking out everywhere, the Third Raikage felt it wasn't worth committing manpower and resources to this. After all, Sosuke wasn't someone easily dealt with; taking him on would require considerable effort.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha.
Danzo entered the Hokage's office with a dark expression, without knocking.
"Hiruzen, I was right-this Ninja Master Sosuke absolutely cannot be underestimated. In such a short time, he's made such a huge name for himself. We need to-"
"Danzo, why did you come in without knocking?" Hiruzen interrupted before Danzo could finish.
The increasingly intense wars had already overwhelmed Hiruzen, and he decided to scold Danzo to make him behave.
"Hiruzen, this isn't important. Didn't you see what I gave you-" Danzo tried to continue, but was interrupted by Hiruzen.
"Use proper titles at work," Hiruzen said sternly.
Danzo's face darkened, and he reluctantly said, "Third."
He didn't want to say it, but Hiruzen was too forceful. If he didn't follow Hiruzen's instructions, the conversation probably wouldn't continue.
"You are the Hokage's aide. Don't rush into things," Hiruzen said calmly, removing his pipe and exhaling a faint smoke.
"Hiruzen, I'm doing this for the village," Danzo emphasized.
"See, rushing again," Hiruzen tapped the desk twice with his finger.
"Third, how can I not be anxious about matters related to the village's future?" Danzo said with a dark expression.
"Matters related to the village's future, you exaggerate. Even if Sosuke can defeat Hanzo, his Ninja Sect is only a ninja organization with fewer than a hundred members," Hiruzen disagreed.
Hiruzen acknowledged that Sosuke was a top-tier ninja in the world, but he didn't think Sosuke could cause trouble for Konoha.
Being strong as an individual is just that-an individual matter. It's hard to affect a war. In Hiruzen's experience, Hanzo is more troublesome in war because his Poison Mist is difficult to counter.
Danzo hesitated to speak; some information he couldn't reveal without exposing Root's unauthorized actions.
"More than worrying about the Land of Rain, you should focus more on Hidden Mist. Front Line ninjas report that Hidden Mist is increasing their ninja forces and intensifying the eastern invasion. Such violations of national territory cannot be tolerated!" Hiruzen's expression grew serious.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire gives Konoha so much money every year, and it's not for nothing. Now is the time to act.
Danzo nodded outwardly, feeling a little relieved. With this situation happening, Hiruzen would be even busier and wouldn't have time to investigate Root. There was no need to worry about their operations being discovered, and he could even take the opportunity to develop Root further.
...
"This Hanzo really seems something else. After Sosuke defeated him, his fame shot up so fast-so many people are talking about it," Obito observed. Hanzo really seemed like a worthy opponent to build a reputation.
The discussion about Ninja Master Sosuke this time was completely different from before; even some Konoha villagers were talking about it.
"What, are you thinking about challenging Hanzo too?" Kakashi looked at Obito.
He thought Obito's way of thinking could actually lead him to consider such a thing.
"Of course not. I just think that if Mutsuki-sensei goes, he would definitely become famous throughout the ninja world," Obito waved his hand.
He did have the thought of challenging Hanzo, but not now. He would wait until he felt strong enough.
"You really think Mutsuki-sensei wants the spotlight as much as you do?" Kakashi thought Obito didn't need to put himself in Mutsuki's shoes.
If Mutsuki wanted fame, he could have already achieved it. Just single-handedly stopping the new Hidden Cloud AB duo would have been enough to make Mutsuki famous in the ninja world.
Why could Kakashi be so certain? Because Minato Namikaze became famous based on that achievement.
But Mutsuki was too low-key and never promoted his accomplishments.
"It's not about seeking the spotlight. I just feel the title of Ninja Master suits Mutsuki-sensei better," Obito said, looking at Mutsuki.
"Mutsuki-sensei, I really think this title suits you. All the students you've taught agree-it takes both strength and the ability to teach to deserve the title of Ninja Master."
"But taking someone else's title isn't right. How about your title, Mutsuki-sensei, just be 'Great Ninja Master'?" Obito had thought of a good idea.
Slap!
Mutsuki's finger tapped precisely on Obito's head. "Stop thinking about all that nonsense. Let's practice the Great Fire Annihilation together. Shisui is way more proficient than you."
Obito let out a slightly embarrassed laugh and didn't take it to heart.
In terms of learning, aside from Flame Breathing, Obito's progress in every other Ninjutsu was behind Shisui's. So he never compared Ninjutsu progress with Shisui-only actual combat ability.
"I'll show you again. Watch carefully," Mutsuki called Shisui and went to an open space to demonstrate.
Mutsuki concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat, quickly converting it into fire-natured Chakra, then instantly expelled a massive burst of flames enough to form a sea of fire.
After a simple demonstration, Mutsuki began explaining the techniques, then demonstrated again in slow motion while explaining in detail.
Both Obito and Shisui showed thoughtful expressions. After resting, they immediately began practicing.
It wasn't just Obito and Shisui-Mutsuki shared guidance evenly with all disciples training in the Southern Border Forest.
The disciples had accumulated two months of practice, and with Mutsuki's additional instruction, each felt unusually sharp today, gaining a lot from their training.
At this moment, it was Mutsuki himself who had rushed back from the Land of Rain, not a Shadow Clone.
The Enlightenment skill could provide remote support through a panel, but teaching could not-only Mutsuki himself could make it effective.
This was awkward, forcing Mutsuki to constantly travel between Konoha and the Land of Rain.
Fortunately, the Yang Seal's modification partially solved the Shadow Clone Chakra problem, allowing Shadow Clones to last longer. Otherwise, it would be more troublesome, since in Konoha he had to teach students and manage Ninja Academy affairs, while in the Ninja Sect he was still the leader, planning courses and the development path of the sect.
To solve the issue of student lessons, Mutsuki had an idea: develop a projection Ninjutsu that could let students see him from thousands of miles away, so they could attend his "online" classes.
Since the teacher is still the original body, teaching skills should work normally.
"Shisui, the Chunin exams are about to start. Do you want to participate?" After training, Mutsuki looked at Shisui and asked.
This Chunin exam was different from the one Obito and the others attended-it was held solely within Konoha, without collaboration with other Ninja villages.
In fact, holding it alone is now the norm; joint exams are rare.
After all, joint exams were meant to showcase strength and attract missions. Konoha's current situation isn't suitable for a large-scale Chunin exam.
"I want to. Thank you for your trouble," Shisui replied after thinking for a moment.
Raising his Ninja rank would only be beneficial; a higher rank also carries a bit more weight within the Uchiha Clan.
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