Chapter 397: Peace Loving Sosuke
Besides having a Shadow Clone openly impersonate his main body to lead the team, Mugetsu also kept another Shadow Clone hidden nearby to protect his disciples in secret.
After the Akatsuki organization members appeared, the Shadow Clone responsible for covert protection dispelled itself at once, sending its memories back to the main body.
The moment those memories returned, Mugetsu rushed over. He created a new Shadow Clone to continue guarding Kakashi and the others, then had his main body trail the Akatsuki shinobi to locate their base.
Since he wanted to test how well the Transformation Technique could conceal him, Mugetsu used it to give himself a face that resembled Aizen's, but only somewhat.
He did not copy Aizen's face exactly because he had previously used the Transformation Technique to take Aizen's appearance during a mission, and Madara might already have that information.
Even if Madara could not see through the Transformation Technique, he could still grow suspicious if Mugetsu looked like a perfect match.
If it was only vaguely similar, and the Transformation could not be seen through, then there would be no problem.
Mugetsu activated Transparent World, reined in his aura, and quietly infiltrated the village where the Akatsuki were stationed.
"Leader Yahiko, today we helped a village repel three rogue ninja," the tall, thin shinobi reported excitedly to Yahiko, who was practicing taijutsu.
"The two of you drove off three rogue ninja by yourselves. That's very good," Yahiko praised with a hearty laugh.
Even though he was older than Yahiko, the tall, thin shinobi still smiled from the heart at Yahiko's praise.
As a shinobi organization, the Akatsuki's conditions were not good. Their base could only be hidden in small villages, and there were no real benefits to speak of. Most of the shinobi who gathered here were inspired by Yahiko's charisma and wanted to change the Land of Rain with him.
"How could we have that much strength? A passing Konoha shinobi helped us," the tall, thin shinobi explained.
It was terrifying for a shinobi to lack self awareness. If he truly grew arrogant and took all the credit, he might accept missions far beyond his capabilities in the future.
At the mention of Konoha, Nagato, standing beside Yahiko, glanced at the tall, thin shinobi without thinking.
"Those Konoha shinobi were really strong," the tall, thin shinobi continued, still amazed. "They all looked about ten years old, but they were powerful. They handled three rogue ninja in less than a minute. There was also a medical ninja, extremely skilled. After she treated us, not even a single scar was left."
"As long as you train hard, you can become stronger too," Yahiko encouraged with a smile.
"Mm."
The tall, thin shinobi suddenly felt a burning urge to train.
"Are you the Akatsuki organization?"
Mugetsu dropped from a rooftop and walked toward them, his voice calm.
Several Akatsuki shinobi instantly shifted into combat stances, eyes locked on him.
"We are the Akatsuki," Yahiko said, signaling the others with his gaze to lower their kunai. He smiled as if greeting a visitor. "What is it? Are you here to entrust us with a mission?"
In Yahiko's view, Mugetsu had infiltrated, yet still chose to reveal himself openly. That did not look like someone here to start trouble.
If he truly wanted to fight, a sneak attack would have been the smarter choice, because no one in the Akatsuki had detected him at all.
"Nothing major," Mugetsu replied, still walking closer, his tone easy. "I heard the Akatsuki is an organization devoted to peace, so I came to see for myself."
Most of Mugetsu's attention remained on Nagato's face.
Nagato had seen Mugetsu's main body in the Land of Rivers before. If the Rinnegan could see through the Transformation Technique, Nagato would definitely react.
"That's right," Yahiko said, excitement rising as he assumed Mugetsu was here to join. "Our goal is peace across the shinobi world. But before that, we will first make the Land of Rain peaceful."
As he spoke, Yahiko stepped toward Mugetsu, ready to explain his plan in detail.
"Don't go over there. This person is very strong."
Nagato grabbed Yahiko's arm.
He could see the powerful chakra within Mugetsu's body, and that made him uneasy. An infiltrator with that much chakra was not someone Yahiko should approach carelessly.
Yahiko froze, then smiled and patted Nagato's shoulder.
"Isn't Nagato still here?" Yahiko said softly. "I trust you."
Then Yahiko and Nagato moved together, stopping about 1.5 meters away from Mugetsu.
"You said you want to make the Land of Rain peaceful," Mugetsu asked with a smile. "How do you plan to do that?"
"Protect villagers from rogue ninja, spread our organization's ideals, and attract more shinobi with the same ideals to join us," Yahiko answered quickly. "As long as we become strong enough, even the Five Great Nations will not dare to wage war in the Land of Rain."
The first three members of the Akatsuki had been people Yahiko and Nagato subdued, then inspired into joining through Yahiko's ideals.
"During the Second Shinobi World War, Amegakure had thousands of Rain ninja, and Hanzo, known as a demigod," Mugetsu said evenly. "Even then, they still could not escape war. When do you think the Akatsuki, following your plan, can surpass the Amegakure of that era?"
In Mugetsu's eyes, the current Akatsuki's only real chance to achieve its ideals lay with Nagato.
But Nagato carried Madara's arrangements, which might instead drag the Akatsuki toward ruin.
"It will be in…" Yahiko hesitated, his words catching.
Including himself, Nagato, and Konan, the Akatsuki only had twenty shinobi. Forget matching Amegakure during the Second War. They were not even close to the current Amegakure.
"What advantage do you think the Akatsuki has over Amegakure, or over other shinobi organizations?" Mugetsu continued, voice steady. "What would make shinobi choose to join you instead of joining Amegakure, or someone else?"
Reality was cruel.
Without enough benefits, even Madara had left and not a single Uchiha chose to follow him.
Because in Konoha, they lived in a peace they had never known before, while leaving meant stepping into the unknown.
"We…" Yahiko tried to answer, but found himself cornered.
The Akatsuki had no money, no training resources, nothing that looked like an obvious advantage.
"The Akatsuki is a place where everyone strives for peace together," Yahiko said at last.
"It's true that many shinobi yearn for peace," Mugetsu replied, sounding faintly disappointed. "But how do you make them believe the Akatsuki can actually accomplish what you claim?"
Yahiko fell silent.
He realized that besides speaking about dreams and everyone working hard together, he had no solid answer.
For the first time, he felt, with painful clarity, how far they still were from their ideal.
"Leader Yahiko is a genius," one Akatsuki shinobi spoke up to defend him. "If he keeps growing, he will become someone powerful enough to shake the shinobi world."
"Yes," the tall, thin shinobi added firmly. "The Akatsuki has only been established for a short time, but our reputation is no less than some organizations that have existed for more than ten years. That proves we are on the right path."
As Yahiko's followers, they believed he would succeed.
"That only proves you're unique among shinobi organizations," Mugetsu replied.
Most organizations existed to make money, then make more money. For a group shouting about love and peace to appear, stand out, and gain some fame, that was not strange at all.
"Right now, you have nothing except ideals," Mugetsu said, his questions coming one after another. "Even if you keep growing, have you considered Amegakure's attitude? The attitude of other shinobi organizations?"
"Have you thought about how you will earn enough funds to keep this organization running? Twenty or thirty shinobi can scrape by together. What about a hundred? Or more?"
"Have you considered how you will maintain peace after you achieve it? If the peace you fight for collapses into war again after a few years, or ten years, what will you do then?"
The relentless questioning left the Akatsuki members stunned.
Yahiko's face turned awkward. He truly had not considered many of these things.
After all, he was fourteen. He had never gone to school.
Yet the more Mugetsu pressed him, the more Yahiko wanted to invite him in. Yahiko could feel it. This person could push the Akatsuki forward by leaps and bounds.
"You are right," Yahiko said earnestly. "The Akatsuki has many shortcomings. That is why I want to invite you to join us. Let's work together to change those flaws and bring peace to the Land of Rain, and then to the entire shinobi world."
"If you join," Yahiko continued, offering the greatest chip he could, "your status will be equal to the leader."
In truth, Yahiko wanted to hand the leader position over outright. But the Akatsuki was built through the efforts of him and his companions. Giving it away to someone he had just met would look like he did not value the comrades who shared his ideals.
Still, if Mugetsu truly solved all the problems he pointed out, Yahiko would willingly let him become the sole leader.
Yahiko yearned for peace. If the Akatsuki could truly bring peace to the Land of Rain and the shinobi world, then who led it would not matter.
"Leader Yahiko, isn't this inappropriate?" the surrounding Akatsuki members asked, shocked.
"There is nothing inappropriate," Yahiko said with a smile. "We are all fighting for the same ideal. A leader is only there to guide everyone forward more effectively."
"This doesn't attract me," Mugetsu said, rejecting him without hesitation. "If I wanted that, it wouldn't be difficult to gather dozens of subordinates."
"Then what would it take for you to join the Akatsuki?" Yahiko asked, unwilling to let go.
He did not think Mugetsu was boasting. Even Nagato had said Mugetsu was very strong.
For a powerful shinobi, forming an organization with dozens of followers through strength alone was not difficult.
Mugetsu only smiled. He gave no answer.
He turned and left.
"At least tell me your name," Yahiko called after him.
Mugetsu paused, but did not look back.
"Sosuke."
Then he disappeared into the rain soaked night, quickly leaving the village where the Akatsuki were based.
Yahiko watched his retreating back, regret flickering in his eyes.
He felt Sosuke was also someone who yearned for peace. Otherwise, why would he go through the trouble of finding this place?
But their performance had disappointed him, and that was why he did not stay.
"From now on, everyone must work harder," Yahiko said, turning back to his companions. "We need to become strong enough that more outstanding comrades will choose to join us."
The Akatsuki members nodded. They each went back to training, and the memory of that conversation was something they likely would not forget for a long time.
"The Rinnegan still isn't enough."
Mugetsu checked the information he had scanned from Nagato.
He was not disappointed.
The Rinnegan was a top tier existence in the shinobi world. Black Zetsu had labored for over a thousand years, and only Madara had successfully awakened the Rinnegan.
Mugetsu had never placed high expectations on copying it. Even if he could replicate it, he could not use it right now.
This was not something meant for ordinary people. Even Nagato, with an immense amount of chakra, still felt strained using it, and Obito, despite having a large amount of Hashirama cells, only dared to transplant one.
After looking over Nagato's data, Mugetsu deleted Nagato's information.
Nagato held a massive amount of information, and much of it overlapped with what Mugetsu had already copied from the Third Hokage. Nagato also knew many ninjutsu.
"The concealment is still quite good," Mugetsu thought, recalling Nagato's behavior just now. "The Rinnegan didn't see through it."
With Mugetsu's identity as a Konoha shinobi, Nagato should have recognized him at least a little.
But Nagato's reaction made it clear he did not recognize him at all.
After achieving his goal, Mugetsu returned to the team, replaced the Shadow Clone, and continued the mission.
Nagato was important, representing an opportunity for enormous chakra gains, but his current disciples mattered more.
Besides, Mugetsu already had a concrete plan.
If everything went smoothly, then beyond taking Nagato as a disciple, he could also harvest quite a few rewards in the Land of Rain.
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