But for Mokgetsu, who possesses the Transparent World and Byakugan, the attack trajectories of every stone are extremely clear, easily dodged by Mokgetsu.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Nagato swiftly formed hand seals and split into two clones.
One clone used Water Release to create water spears, while the other clone imbued the spears with lightning. Nagato's main body then used Almighty Push again to increase the speed and enhance the power of the water spears.
This is one of Mokgetsu's teachings; although the Rinnegan is powerful, Nagato's Rinnegan has a fatal flaw—it doesn't belong to him; it was transplanted by Uchiha Madara.
Because of this, Nagato finds using the Rinnegan extraordinarily taxing.
Even though he possesses vast amounts of Chakra, using the Rinnegan to its full extent might make his performance seem even weaker than Kakashi's.
Nagato's Rinnegan is truly a double-edged sword; while it gives him rapid growth potential, it also brings numerous physical drawbacks.
Normal usage of basic Rinnegan abilities is still fine, but using Super Almighty Push or summoning and controlling the Gedo Statue seriously damages Nagato's body, leading to a shortened lifespan.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Mokgetsu's movements were extremely swift, quickly raising a massive wall of earth, completing the practical use of defensive ninjutsu before the water spears could strike.
Boom!!
A series of loud explosions echoed, leaving several large holes in the earth wall, while electric arc-touched water puddles appeared around Mokgetsu.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Easily evading Nagato's attack, Mokgetsu released the Chakra he had already gathered.
Massive water flows surged toward Nagato. Because Almighty Push has a five-second cooldown, Nagato couldn't repel the attack and was forced to leap onto the water's surface, then quickly used the Rinnegan to search for Mokgetsu's figure.
At this moment, Mokgetsu, using Water Instant Body, suddenly appeared behind Nagato and threw a kunai.
Dodging the kunai, Almighty Push's cooldown had just completed, and Nagato didn't hesitate to immediately release Almighty Push.
Bang!
Mokgetsu was repelled and burst into water flow—it was a Water Clone.
In the next instant, a chilling kunai was held against Nagato's neck; the kunai just thrown was actually Mokgetsu's real body.
"In combat, one must consider more carefully the use of Almighty Push. If you use it immediately after cooldown every time, the opponent will easily see the flaw," Mokgetsu remarked while retracting the kunai.
He believes there are two situations in which Almighty Push can be used consistently: one is in a kill-or-be-killed scenario—as long as you take out the opponent, the risk of intelligence being leaked is inconsequential.
The other is in extreme danger, where not using it leads to death. Choosing to expose intelligence under these circumstances is the lesser of two evils.
In regular combat, Mokgetsu suggests more flexibility, such as varying the intervals between uses to keep the opponent guessing, or providing false information for inducement—disguising a five-second cooldown as seven seconds; wrong information is more deadly than no information.
"Hmm, I'll remember that," Nagato nodded.
Although Nagato is older than Obito and the others, his combat experience is actually less than theirs.
Because Nagato hasn't undergone formal ninja training and isn't a ninja from a Ninja Village.
Before joining the Ninja Sect, Nagato's combat experience was only a few skirmishes with wandering ninjas—the kind that would be easily obliterated by Chunin from the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Then Mokgetsu pointed out some issues with Nagato's Heavenly Attraction, and finally said:
"Nagato, right now your focus should be on developing the Rinnegan, but you shouldn't neglect Nature Transformation Ninjutsu and Taijutsu."
Perhaps due to incomplete awakening or just being newly awakened and unfamiliar, currently Nagato can only use Heavenly Attraction and Almighty Push, and cannot yet use abilities like Preta Path's absorbing ninjutsu or Human Path's soul extraction.
Nagato's fastest way to improve his strength now is to develop the Rinnegan; even with just its basic abilities, if fully developed, its inherent high status places him among rare rivals in the current Ninja World.
However, the pair of Rinnegan ultimately do not belong to Nagato; who knows what contingency Uchiha Madara might have left behind? For better future development, Nagato's capabilities in other areas shouldn't be neglected.
"Especially the Breath of Yang I taught you; make sure to cultivate it for an hour each day in the Cultivation Room."
After Nagato cultivated Basic Breathing to Constant State, Mokgetsu, after careful consideration, taught Nagato the Breath of Yang.
Nagato possesses the Sage Body of the Uzumaki Clan, naturally endowed with strong life-energy Chakra, making him suited to cultivate Yang Release.
More powerful Yang Release can strengthen Nagato's Sage Body, offsetting the negative effects of the Rinnegan to some extent.
"I will, Sosuke Sensei, you should take a rest," Nagato urged.
He rarely sees Mokgetsu taking a break, as though Mokgetsu is always occupied with something no matter the time.
"Then I'll take your advice and rest for a bit," Mokgetsu said with a smile, sitting to the side to watch Nagato cultivate.
"The Martial Arts Tournament venue should be completely ready in half a month, allowing for the next phase of operations," Mokgetsu thought in his mind.
To ensure the Ninja Sect is well-fed all at once, Mokgetsu's plan is thorough.
Besides rewards that seem incredibly enticing, Mokgetsu has prepared some other promotional methods.
He plans to invite Hanzo as a special guest for the Youth Martial Arts Tournament, watching together with him.
New legend alongside the last legend on stage, the topic certainly wouldn't lack interest, and it would also allow Hanzo's reputation to be leveraged.
Collaborating partner hosting a major event; shouldn't the Rain Ninja offer some support? Last time, quite a few Rain Ninja came to Mokgetsu for lessons.
The same evening, Mokgetsu sent Shadow Clones with several Ninja of the Ninja Sect to find Hanzo.
Hanzo originally wanted to pretend he wasn't there, as he indeed felt a bit embarrassed facing Mokgetsu.
But remembering the days of unlimited lectures, Hanzo finally met Mokgetsu in the leader's office.
"Sosuke, state your purpose," Hanzo said calmly.
"I just want to invite Senior Hanzo to come and spectate the Youth Martial Arts Tournament," Mokgetsu replied with a smile.
"Busy with official business lately, I don't have time to spectate," Hanzo maintained his expression, directly refusing.
He had no desire to go; imagining sitting next to Sosuke, he could foresee how others would discuss him.
"Hanzo is here; could it be he entered Rain Ninja to compete and win that Fire Release that beat him?"
"I heard Hanzo and Sosuke have a feud; how are they sitting together, unless Hanzo has been subdued?"
Surely there would be a bunch of people discussing how he was defeated by Sosuke, and when the first prize was awarded, it'd be another topic.
Mokgetsu continued to smile, "Senior Hattori, how do you think my lecturing skills are?"
Hanzo's expression changed instantly, his mind trembling; he didn't understand how he was noticed despite his perfect disguise, bearing in mind that not even the Rain Ninja knew he was listening to the lecture.
After the shock, Hanzo's face turned dark; since Mokgetsu discovered him, his interaction was definitely not coincidental but intentional.
Cursing Mokgetsu in his heart, Hanzo immediately changed his words, saying, "When is it hosted? Such a grand event surely can't be missed."
Hanzo was truly helpless; if the incident of his disguise and lurking just for lessons were to become known, he'd completely become a laughingstock in the Ninja World.