"I once did not like the Land of Rain, even felt some disgust, because I was a war orphan, losing my parents since I can remember, wandering everywhere, the Land of Rain never gave me warmth, only left me with the impression of coldness and hunger from war."
Everyone remained silent, quietly listening to Yahiko's self-narration.
Many among them could empathize with Yahiko, as the Land of Rain had been ravaged by war for too long, creating too many orphans.
Yahiko then spoke about his change in mindset, gradually transforming from disliking the Land of Rain to disliking war and pursuing peace.
"I have personally experienced the hardships of being a war orphan, and I don't want more war orphans like me to appear in the Ninja World of the Land of Rain in the future. Uncle Sosuke, everyone, join the Akatsuki, let's fulfill the dream of peace together!" Yahiko made an enthusiastic invitation at the end.
He believed that those who recognized the Ninja Sect would also recognize the Akatsuki, as both pursued peace, and everyone could strive for the same goal.
Hatosuke gave Yahiko a thumbs-up, acknowledging that this was indeed a good opportunity for the Akatsuki to strengthen their forces.
"You do know how to choose the right moment, but let's discuss other matters later." Mokgetsu led the applause with a smile.
The remaining ninjas gave Yahiko a warm round of applause; say what you will, but Yahiko really put in effort in his speech.
Going forward, it was up to individuals to voluntarily participate; if no one volunteered, Mokgetsu would randomly call names.
Nagato hoped it wouldn't be his turn, as he was not good at these things.
Unfortunately, this event involved everyone, and even though Nagato was silently praying not to be chosen, he was still picked when half the names were called.
Nagato walked to the temporary platform in a daze, facing dozens of ninjas below, he opened his mouth to speak but found his mind was blank.
In truth, Nagato usually paid close attention in class, as Mokgetsu's lectures were interesting enough; even if listened to as stories, they were not dull.
Yet in this situation, he forgot all of Mokgetsu's class content as if he never knew it.
Nagato envied Yahiko; although Yahiko couldn't give speeches and was often teased, his speeches were always passionate.
"Just casually talk about your insights and thoughts, there are no requirements." Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Mokgetsu said kindly.
"If you're nervous, just imagine everyone below as radishes."
Under Mokgetsu's reassurance, Nagato felt much more at ease, gradually recalling what he wanted to say.
"Nagato, look at me, look at me." Yahiko suddenly said.
Nagato looked towards Yahiko and saw a big, plump white radish; Yahiko had used Transformation Jutsu to turn into a radish shape.
Nagato was startled for a moment and then burst into laughter; Yahiko looked too comical now.
"Go for it, Nagato." Yahiko encouraged.
Other Akatsuki members who loved to have fun also used Transformation Jutsu to turn into radishes, becoming a peculiar sight in the crowd. Some non-Akatsuki ninjas found it amusing and joined in.
Looking at the rows of radishes below, Nagato restrained his laughter and began to share his insights; although not particularly excellent, he smoothly finished presenting his views.
After everyone finished speaking, Mokgetsu looked at Kakuzu.
"Why are you looking at me? I'm not your student." Kakuzu said with his arms crossed.
"But it doesn't take much time, and you're not busy with anything right now." Mokgetsu said with a smile.
Kakuzu's face darkened slightly; if he hadn't come to the Land of Rain and encountered Mokgetsu, he would either be making money or on his way to make money.
Kakuzu snorted coldly, displeased, and stood directly on the platform, addressing everyone. He was mostly idle in Mokgetsu's team, except for helping a bit during meals, basically an observer in the whole team.
In Kakuzu's words, Yahiko was a passionate fool, easy to be manipulated in the Ninja World and still counting other's money; Nagato bottled everything up, unable to communicate even with companions, yet talking about mutual understanding for all; Ike Masaya was overly cautious, seemingly ready to sell out teammates; and except for Mokgetsu, everyone was criticized by Kakuzu with examples from daily events.
As for Mokgetsu, Kakuzu wanted to criticize him the most but couldn't find any fault to pick on, and his pride wouldn't allow him to fabricate one.
"You should all thank Kakuzu; not everyone can be so attentive in helping you correct your mistakes." Mokgetsu joked.
The ninjas burst into laughter; initially, those who were called out felt very awkward, as it felt like public humiliation.
But as Kakuzu continued, their embarrassment lessened; if everyone is publicly humiliated, then it's as if no one was.
During dinner, the ninjas teased each other with Kakuzu's evaluations of them.
"Uncle Sosuke, I think we can separate and act, go to various villages to give speeches and spread the concept of the Ninja Sect. This way, we can speed up the progress and better train everyone's abilities." Yahiko came up with a good idea.
Spreading the concept of the Ninja Sect was something Mokgetsu had recently proposed; previously, the journey was just about spreading the name and practicing everywhere.
After all, the Land of Rain is the territory of the Rain Village, so initially, they need to be somewhat restrained.
"Let's see what everyone thinks; you can vote on it." Mokgetsu left the decision to everyone.
In the end, most people agreed with Yahiko's idea; the day's speeches had brought them various insights.