Mutsuki not only had a Shadow Clone out in the open pretending to be his main body and leading the team, but he also had another Shadow Clone secretly protecting his disciples.
When he discovered the Akatsuki Organization ninja, the Shadow Clone protecting from the shadows immediately dispelled itself, sending its memories back to the main body.
After receiving these memories, Mutsuki quickly moved to send out a new Shadow Clone to protect Kakashi and the others, while his main body followed the Akatsuki ninja to locate the Akatsuki Organization's base.
To test the concealment ability of his Transformation skill, Mutsuki used it to shape his face to somewhat resemble Aizen's.
Why only somewhat resemble Aizen and not directly use his face? Because on a previous mission, Mutsuki had used Transformation Jutsu to turn into Aizen, so it's possible that Uchiha Madara would have intelligence on this.
Even if they couldn't see through Mutsuki after his Transformation, they might grow suspicious because of the exact resemblance.
If it only looked somewhat similar, and they couldn't see through the Transformation, then there would be basically no problem.
Mutsuki activated Transparent World, concealing his presence, and quietly infiltrated the village where the Akatsuki Organization was located.
"Leader Yahiko, today we helped a village drive off three rogue ninjas," a tall, thin ninja said excitedly to Yahiko, who was practicing Taijutsu.
"Just the two of you managed to drive off three rogue ninjas? Not bad," Yahiko laughed and praised him.
Although he was quite a bit older than Yahiko, the tall, thin ninja broke into a genuine smile at Yahiko's praise.
As a ninja organization, Akatsuki's conditions weren't good; they could only station themselves in small villages and had no real benefits. Most ninjas who joined from the Rain Ninja Village were inspired by Yahiko's charisma and wanted to join him in changing the Land of Rain.
"We don't have that kind of strength—it was passing Konoha ninjas who helped us out," the tall, thin ninja explained.
It's dangerous for a ninja to lack self-awareness. If he really let it get to his head and took all the credit, he might take on missions beyond his abilities in the future.
Hearing the words "Konoha ninjas," Nagato, who was beside Yahiko, instinctively glanced at the tall, thin ninja.
"Those Konoha ninjas were really strong. Although they looked to be only about ten years old, each one was powerful. They took down the three rogue ninjas in less than a minute. And there was an amazing medical ninja among them; after her treatment, not even a scar was left," the tall, thin ninja recalled, marveling at Kakashi and his team's combat prowess.
"As long as you train hard, you can become stronger too," Yahiko said, smiling encouragingly.
"Yes." The tall, thin ninja was now eager to go train.
"Are you the Akatsuki Organization?" Mutsuki jumped down from the rooftop, walking slowly toward Yahiko and the others as he asked.
Several Akatsuki ninjas quickly took a combat stance, cautiously watching Mutsuki.
"We are the Akatsuki Organization. What, are you here to commission us for a task?" Yahiko signaled with his eyes for the surrounding ninjas to lower their kunai as he spoke with a smile.
In Yahiko's view, although Mutsuki had infiltrated their camp, his willingness to appear openly suggested he wasn't here to cause trouble.
If he wanted to fight, an ambush would have been a better option, especially since no one in the Akatsuki Organization had actually noticed Mutsuki.
"It's nothing. I just heard that the Akatsuki Organization is a ninja group dedicated to peace, so I wanted to take a look," Mutsuki answered Yahiko's question as he continued walking toward Yahiko and Nagato.
Mutsuki's attention was mostly focused on Nagato's face.
Back in the Land of Rivers, Nagato had seen Mutsuki's true appearance, and if Nagato's Rinnegan saw through the Transformation, he would certainly be surprised.
"That's right. Our goal in the Akatsuki Organization is peace in the ninja world, and first, we'll bring peace to the Land of Rain," Yahiko said enthusiastically, thinking Mutsuki was here to join the Akatsuki Organization. He eagerly shared his ideals.
As he spoke, Yahiko also walked toward Mutsuki, preparing to explain his peace plan in detail.
"Don't go near him. This person is very strong," Nagato said, grabbing Yahiko, who was about to approach Mutsuki.
Nagato could see the powerful chakra within Mutsuki's body, so he didn't feel comfortable letting Yahiko get too close to this ninja who had infiltrated.
Yahiko paused, then patted Nagato on the shoulder with a smile, saying, "Isn't Nagato here with me? I trust you."
Then, Yahiko and Nagato walked to within 1.5 meters of Mutsuki.
"You said you want to bring peace to the Land of Rain, so how do you plan to achieve that?" Mutsuki asked with a smile.
"Protecting villagers from rogue ninjas, spreading our organization's ideals, attracting more ninjas with the same vision to join us. As long as we become strong enough, even the Five Great Nations wouldn't dare to wage war on the Land of Rain," Yahiko quickly replied.
The first three ninjas to join the Akatsuki Organization were, in fact, those whom Yahiko and Nagato had defeated, inspired by Yahiko's ideals to join.
"During the Second Ninja War, the Rain Ninja Village had thousands of Rain ninjas, led by Hanzō, who was known as a demigod, but even then, they couldn't escape the cycle of war. When do you think the Akatsuki Organization, with your plan, will surpass the Rain Ninja Village of that time?" Mutsuki asked calmly.
In Mutsuki's view, the only hope for the Akatsuki Organization to achieve its ideals lies in Nagato. However, with Uchiha Madara's schemes surrounding Nagato, it will actually lead to the Akatsuki Organization's downfall.
"We will in…" Yahiko faltered.
Including himself, Nagato, and Konan, the Akatsuki Organization only had about twenty ninjas. They were nowhere near the strength of the Rain Ninja Village during the Second Ninja War, or even the current Rain Ninja Village.
"What advantages do you think your Akatsuki Organization has over the Rain Ninja Village or other ninja organizations that would make ninjas choose to join Akatsuki instead?" Mutsuki continued.
The reality was harsh—without sufficient benefits, even Uchiha Madara couldn't convince a single Uchiha to leave Konoha with him.
In Konoha, they could enjoy unprecedented peace, while going with Madara meant facing an uncertain future.
"We…" Yahiko wanted to say something but realized that the Akatsuki Organization didn't have any particular advantage. They lacked money and training resources.
"The Akatsuki Organization is a place where everyone fights together for peace!" After a pause, Yahiko finally said.
"There's no denying that many ninjas yearn for peace, but how will you make them believe that the Akatsuki Organization can achieve everything you say?" Mutsuki sounded almost disappointed in Yahiko.
Yahiko fell silent, realizing that all he could offer were dreams and words about working together, but nothing more concrete.
For the first time, Yahiko felt the vast distance between them and their ideals.
"Leader Yahiko is a genius ninja. If he keeps growing, he'll surely become a powerful figure feared across the ninja world," one Akatsuki ninja spoke up in support of Yahiko.
"Yes, our Akatsuki Organization may have been founded recently, but our reputation rivals that of organizations that have been around for over a decade. That alone proves we're on the right path," added a tall, thin Akatsuki ninja.
As Yahiko's followers, they firmly believed that he would ultimately succeed.
"That just means you stand out among ninja organizations," Mutsuki countered.
Most ninja organizations exist to make money, and it's only natural that one shouting about love and peace would attract attention.
"Right now, all you have is an ideal and nothing else. Even if you do grow stronger, have you considered the Rain Ninja Village's attitude? What about the attitudes of other ninja organizations?
Have you thought about how to earn enough funds to keep the organization running? With twenty or thirty ninjas, you can all scrape by together, but what about when there are a hundred? Or more?
Have you considered how to maintain peace if you manage to achieve it? What will you do if, after all your efforts, that peace lasts only a few years or a decade before war returns?"
Mutsuki's series of questions left the Akatsuki members completely stunned, and Yahiko wore an awkward expression. There were many things he hadn't considered yet.
After all, he was only a fourteen-year-old who'd never been to school.
Despite the difficult questions, Yahiko now felt an even stronger desire to invite Mutsuki to join the Akatsuki Organization. He believed Mutsuki could bring transformative growth to the organization.
"You're absolutely right; our Akatsuki Organization indeed has many shortcomings. That's why I want to invite you to join us so that together we can work to overcome these issues and bring peace to the Land of Rain and the ninja world!" Yahiko said earnestly.
"If you're willing to join the Akatsuki Organization, you'll have a position equal to that of the leader!" Yahiko offered the highest status he could.
He had even considered offering the leadership role to Mutsuki, but since the Akatsuki Organization was the hard-earned result of his and his comrades' efforts, handing it over to someone he'd just met would show a lack of respect for his like-minded companions.
If Mutsuki could truly resolve the issues he had pointed out, Yahiko would willingly make him the sole leader.
Yahiko longed for peace, and if the Akatsuki Organization could genuinely bring peace to the Land of Rain and the ninja world, it wouldn't matter to him who led it.
"Leader Yahiko, isn't that a bit much?" The surrounding Akatsuki members looked at Yahiko in shock.
"There's nothing wrong with it. We're all striving for the same ideal, and having a leader is just to guide everyone forward," Yahiko said with a smile.
"That doesn't attract me. If I wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult to find dozens of ninja subordinates," Mutsuki rejected Yahiko's offer.
"Then what would it take to join the Akatsuki Organization?" Yahiko asked persistently.
He didn't doubt that Mutsuki was bragging, since even Nagato said Mutsuki was strong.
A powerful ninja could easily establish a ninja organization with dozens of ninjas.
Mutsuki smiled but didn't answer, turning to leave.
"At least tell me your name!" Yahiko shouted.
Mutsuki paused but didn't look back. "Sosuke."
After that, Mutsuki quickly left the village where the Akatsuki Organization was stationed.
Watching Mutsuki's retreating figure, Yahiko's eyes showed a hint of regret.
He felt that Sosuke was also a ninja seeking peace; otherwise, why would he go through so much trouble to find this place?
But their actions had displeased Sosuke, which was why he hadn't joined.
"Everyone has to work even harder from now on. Only then will more outstanding comrades join us," Yahiko encouraged the Akatsuki Organization ninjas.
The Akatsuki ninjas nodded and began to work harder. The scene they had just witnessed would likely stay with them for a long time.
"Transformation is still isn't enough to copy the Rinnegan" Mutsuki said as he reviewed the information he had scanned from Nagato.
He wasn't too disappointed. The Rinnegan was considered one of the most powerful abilities in the Naruto world. Even Black Zetsu spent over a thousand years, and only Uchiha Madara successfully awakened the Rinnegan.
Mutsuki didn't hold high expectations for the Rinnegan because, even if he could replicate it, he wouldn't be able to use it. It wasn't something for ordinary people to wield. Nagato, with all his chakra, still struggled to use it effectively. Obito, with his large supply of Hashirama Cells in his body, only dared to implant one eye.
After glancing at Nagato's information, Mutsuki simply deleted it.
Nagato's data was very extensive and overlapped with that of the Third Hokage in many places. Nagato also knew a lot of ninjutsu.
"The hiding ability is decent; it wasn't seen through by the Rinnegan," Mutsuki recalled Nagato's reaction, confirming the effectiveness of the Transformation disguise.
As a Konoha ninja, Nagato should have had some impression of him, but judging by Nagato's reaction just now, it was clear that he didn't recognize him at all.
Having accomplished his goal, Mutsuki returned to his team and replaced the Shadow Clone to continue the mission.
Although Nagato was important to him as the opportunity to expand his chakra, his existing disciples were more important.
Moreover, Mutsuki had already thought of a specific plan. If things went smoothly, in addition to recruiting Nagato as a disciple, he could also gain a lot of rewards in the Land of Rain.
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