"Even Yahiko and the others can't?" After a moment of silence, Nagato asked.
Nagato could feel that Yahiko highly respected Mokgetsu, considering Mokgetsu as a direction to move forward.
"Not right now, the fewer people know about this, the better. Once exposed, it would bring disaster to the Ninja Sect." Mokgetsu shook his head in response.
Mokgetsu trusted Yahiko's character, but White Zetsu's intelligence-gathering ability was too strong. Mokgetsu had to first set up a barrier to reveal his identity. To prevent exposure, Mokgetsu only planned to let Nagato know his true identity at this stage.
"Then why tell me? If you hadn't told me, no one would have found out." Nagato looked into Mokgetsu's eyes, his fingers unconsciously pressing the chair.
Mokgetsu's Transformation Jutsu was very strong; Nagato couldn't spot any flaw. He believed Mokgetsu had this ability.
Nagato didn't understand why Mokgetsu would tell him alone. He didn't feel he was more special than Yahiko, except for those eyes.
"As I mentioned before, I don't want to interact with everyone under a false identity. It was a helpless act due to reality. So, I think there must be someone who knows my true identity. To avoid exposure, this person can only be the one I trust the most in the Ninja Sect," Mokgetsu explained.
"I believe if it's you, Nagato, you can keep my secret, just as you are willing to share your experiences with me."
Looking at Mokgetsu's gentle smile, Nagato once again felt trust.
This trust wasn't born of nothing, not because of his Rinnegan, but because he trusted Mokgetsu, and thus Mokgetsu trusted him, too.
"I'll do my best," Nagato solemnly promised.
Since Mokgetsu trusted him so much, Nagato couldn't let Mokgetsu down. Moreover, Nagato felt that Mokgetsu was right; Mokgetsu's true identity would indeed bring trouble to the current Ninja Sect.
Then Mokgetsu began teaching Nagato the Basic Breathing Technique.
Nagato had mastered six types of Chakra nature transformations, and none were particularly outstanding. So Mokgetsu hadn't decided which breathing technique Nagato should learn and started with the Basic Breathing Technique.
Teaching the Breathing Technique was the best choice. On one hand, Nagato already mastered many ninjutsu and didn't have much demand in that area.
On the other hand, the cultivation and use of breathing techniques aren't obvious, suitable for the current teaching situation, and the breathing techniques themselves have great potential.
[You taught your disciple the Basic Breathing Technique, and due to the disciple's great gratitude and critical reward, you received the reward—Four Symbols Seal (Proficient Level)]
Seeing the information on the panel, Mokgetsu nodded in his heart.
Exposing himself early not only avoided Nagato suffering a major blow but also helped increase trust. Such a secret only known by two people can greatly promote relationship development.
When Mokgetsu first revealed his identity, Nagato's trust level dropped to level one. However, after Mokgetsu explained, Nagato's trust level rose back to level two, and even earned critical rewards during the teaching. Overall, trust was increasing.
...
Having learned that Mokgetsu was willing to cooperate, Hanzo immediately selected a Feng Shui site where Mokgetsu and the others could rest forever.
It was a valley. Hanzo's plan was to lure Mokgetsu and the others into the valley, then activate traps and let his Rain Ninjas attack from above.
Currently, Hanzo considered the Ninja Sect as an enemy, so he would use any means to suppress the Ninja Sect and minimize Rain Ninja losses.
"This is how you should deal with those ninjas who preach peace but harbor malicious intentions." Shimura Danzo was satisfied with Hanzo's specific actions.
Originally, Shimura Danzo thought Hanzo would disdain setting traps. Unexpectedly, Hanzo was surprisingly savvy, giving Shimura Danzo a feeling of having met him too late.
Hanzo nodded indifferently; he was not rigid in dealing with enemies.
Just then, the door of the Rain Village Leader's office was knocked.
"Come in." Hanzo said.
A Rain Ninja quickly entered the office and reported: "Lord Hanzo, some ninjas from the Rock Village want to see you. They seem quite angry."
Hanzo frowned. Coming at this time could only be because of the incident where the Ninja Sect ninja killed the Hidden Rock Ninja.
Shimura Danzo put on a guilty expression and sighed, as if apologizing for his subordinates' failure to cover it up properly.
"It seems my subordinates missed something," Shimura Danzo said apologetically to Hanzo.
Shimura Danzo's expression was a facade, but he wasn't lying. This wasn't part of his plan, and the sudden involvement of Hidden Rock could cause unexpected changes in his plan.
"It's not your fault, I misjudged the person," Hanzo said solemnly.
The Land of Rain and Konoha had no treaty of mutual assistance, so Shimura Danzo had no obligation to help him. Shimura Danzo had already done enough, and Hanzo didn't feel right blaming him.
Then Hanzo looked at the Rain Ninja who entered the office, "Bring them here."
Hanzo planned to resolve the Mokgetsu issue before explaining the causes to the Rock Village. But since they had come, he had no choice but to explain now.
"Konoha is still at war with the Hidden Rock, so I'll take my leave," Shimura Danzo said as he got up to leave.
The desire to sign a peace treaty with the Hidden Rock was just an excuse for Shimura Danzo, and he had no intention of meeting the Hidden Rock Ninja.
Hanzo nodded in understanding.
Even if Shimura Danzo didn't leave, Hanzo would have to ask him to. Otherwise, when the Hidden Rock Ninja saw Konoha's second-in-command chatting with Hanzo in the Rain Village Leader's office and connected it with the incident where a Rain Ninja killed a Hidden Rock Ninja, the Rain Village would have a hard time clearing their name.