Chapter 402: The Legendary Teacher in the Land of Rain
After dinner, Shisui and Obito went to Fugaku's home to invite Itachi out for a walk.
Shisui wanted Itachi to grow up with normal values, so he would not become the clan destroyer of the future. But strangers could only influence so much, which was why Shisui was trying to become Itachi's friend.
Fugaku's family had just finished eating as well. Seeing two geniuses from his own clan, Fugaku felt completely at ease and did not stop them.
"Itachi, do you know Hashirama and Madara?" Shisui asked with a smile.
Itachi thought for a moment, then shook his head.
He was still very young and had not received formal clan education yet.
"Hashirama was one of the founders of Konoha and the First Hokage," Shisui explained. "Madara was once the head of the Uchiha and was also one of Konoha's founders."
As they walked, Shisui began to explain in simple terms.
"Back in the Warring States Period, the Senju and the Uchiha were mortal enemies…"
Before coming, Shisui had specifically talked with Obito and asked him to reduce his interactions with Itachi, letting Shisui lead this time.
Itachi listened with full attention. He did not understand everything, but he still felt it was an amazing story.
Because Itachi was so young, Shisui did not go too deep. He only described, in broad strokes, the hardships and effort Hashirama faced when founding Konoha.
"Itachi," Shisui asked after he finished, looking down at him, "what do you think after hearing that? Aren't the First Hokage and Madara incredible, to go that far for peace?"
Obito, who was still thinking about test questions, also subconsciously looked at Itachi.
"I didn't really understand, so I don't have any thoughts," Itachi answered honestly. "But Shisui, what you told was really exciting."
He was a one year old child. He knew it was wrong to snatch candy from an old grandma, but asking him to understand war and peace was a bit much.
"You're still too young. It's normal not to understand," Shisui said with a gentle smile, patting Itachi's head. "Just remember it for now. If you have thoughts later, tell me again."
He had not expected Itachi to grasp it immediately. The reason he chose Hashirama and the founding of Konoha was simple. It was a positive story.
He wanted Itachi to admire people like Hashirama through these histories, then learn from those qualities.
"I'll tell a story too," Obito said, suddenly inspired.
Shisui's eyelid twitched.
"Material 1," Obito began with complete seriousness, "in the early days of the shinobi village era, Konoha captured the tailed beasts in the ninja world…"
Shisui's eyelid twitched again.
"Itachi, why do you think Konoha sold the tailed beasts to other villages, and what impact did that have?"
Itachi stared at Obito with a blank, bewildered expression.
Was this a story?
He did not understand any of it.
Shisui looked at Obito in silence, feeling a headache coming on. Asking a one year old Itachi to do a history problem was outrageous. At least pretend to be human.
Obito also seemed to realize he had gone too far. When they reached the commercial street, he bought some dango and handed a skewer to Itachi.
That slightly improved Obito's image in Itachi's mind.
Obito went from a big brother who bullied old grandmas and spoke in incomprehensible riddles, to a big brother who offered him dango but still bullied old grandmas and still spoke in incomprehensible riddles.
Watching Itachi eat dango with complete focus, Obito smiled smugly.
Kids were way too easy to manipulate.
… … …
Land of Rain.
Two rogue ninja moved quickly, stimulating chakra to speed themselves along.
"Is there really a chance to get ninjutsu?" one of them asked, uneasy. "What if it's some kind of trap?"
"Kuroda, you're overthinking it," Ikechou replied, sounding indifferent. "Even if it is a trap, who cares? They are not charging money. If we can't get ninjutsu, we leave."
They were rogue ninja active in the area. After hearing that someone in Oz Village was teaching ninjutsu, they came to see what was going on.
At first, Ikechou had thought the same as Kuroda. Charity was not supposed to work like this.
But then a ninja Ikechou knew actually learned ninjutsu from it, and that made Ikechou restless.
Kuroda thought it over and felt Ikechou was right. Since they were already here, walking away without checking would be a loss.
There were many kinds of rogue ninja. Some were shinobi who left a village. Others were ordinary people who stumbled into a shinobi inheritance by accident.
That second group lacked systematic knowledge the most.
Kuroda and Ikechou belonged to that second type. Even a decent C rank ninjutsu was priceless to them.
After entering Oz Village, they quickly found the person everyone was talking about, because he was impossible to miss.
In an open space, a brown haired man in a white long coat stood on a makeshift low platform. Dozens of listeners with all kinds of appearances sat on the ground below.
Thinking he was already teaching ninjutsu, they hurried to sit down and listen. Only then did they realize he was not teaching techniques yet. He was talking about peace and the shinobi sect.
"The Sage of Six Paths created the shinobi sect to create a world without war, a world of peace…"
Ikechou finally noticed something else.
Among the dozens of listeners, there were ordinary people too. One of them looked like a farmer who had just finished work.
"Didn't they say we can learn ninjutsu here?" Ikechou interrupted bluntly. "How are we supposed to learn anything?"
The next moment, he regretted it.
Everyone's eyes turned to him, and several of those gazes carried clear displeasure.
But Mugetsu did not look annoyed at all. He simply smiled and answered calmly.
"Ninjutsu is a reward for listeners who perform exceptionally well."
Even though the stares made him uneasy, Ikechou forced himself to continue since he had already spoken.
"What elemental ninjutsu are available?" he pressed. "If I can't learn a technique that suits me, it's useless."
Ninjutsu itself was a resource. If he could not use it, he could still sell it for money. But Ikechou felt selling something obtained this way would offend people, unless he had permission.
"Listen at ease," Mugetsu replied with a faint smile. "I have a basic understanding of every chakra nature."
For this plan, Mugetsu had deliberately prepared quite a few C rank and B rank ninjutsu.
Calling it creation was not accurate, though. It was closer to imitation. None of them had special traits unique to him.
Ikechou instinctively felt Mugetsu was bragging. How could anyone know techniques of every element? Even powerful jonin from the great nations usually specialized in one or two.
He did not refute it directly. Instead, he asked one last question.
"Then how do we qualify as performing exceptionally well?"
He did not believe Mugetsu knew that much, but he also believed Mugetsu had something real. Otherwise he could not attract this many people.
Ikechou decided he would try. If he could get a Water Release technique, it would be worth it. If not, he would leave.
"After the lecture, write down your thoughts," Mugetsu answered. "I will select the best insights."
Then he resumed his lecture, continuing to recount the Sage of Six Paths and his pursuit of peace.
For the sake of ninjutsu, Ikechou and Kuroda listened carefully.
Mugetsu did not mind bringing some positive change to the Land of Rain while benefiting himself.
But change required a foundation, and the Land of Rain had not reached that point yet. If he dragged over knowledge from another life, it would be empty talk, with little meaning.
So he only recounted the existing history of peace in the ninja world and let them reflect on what already existed.
That was the content Mugetsu chose after analyzing the Land of Rain.
A country constantly ravaged by war yearned for stability more than most places ever could.
When the lecture ended, Ikechou wanted to discuss writing reflections with Kuroda, but he noticed many listeners gathering in a tight circle.
He immediately pulled Kuroda over. When he could not squeeze in, he grabbed someone nearby and asked what was happening.
Because Ikechou had interrupted earlier, the person did not want to answer at first. But Ikechou kept asking shamelessly until the person finally spoke.
"His name is Nan'yu. Back when Ninja Master Sosuke first started lecturing, nobody believed he would actually give out ninjutsu. Nan'yu was the only one who listened, wrote his thoughts, submitted them, and then learned a Fire Release technique."
The person continued, voice lowering with envy.
"He's also the only one who has learned three ninjutsu from Ninja Master Sosuke."
"He learned three that easily?" Kuroda blurted out, shocked and jealous.
How long would it take to earn enough for three ninjutsu?
"No wonder everyone is crowding him," Ikechou said, suddenly understanding. "He's been chosen as excellent three times."
Then Ikechou caught a detail.
That person said learned, not obtained.
That meant the teacher was guaranteeing instruction, not just tossing out scrolls.
Ikechou felt his blood heat up. This was a rare chance.
He forced his way into the crowd and listened to their discussion. That night, he even stayed up to write an over the top reflection praising the Sage of Six Paths.
Unfortunately, the next day he was not selected.
But Ikechou was not too upset.
Because this time, nobody was selected.
That meant it was not just him who failed. Everyone had fallen short.
"Even though I'm discussing history, you should focus more on the current Land of Rain," Mugetsu said, offering a hint.
He did not have much time. He could not train them slowly.
He had given his disciples a two month training plan, left behind a shadow clone, and used Flying Thunder God to leave Konoha. Those two months were the window he set for himself.
Originally, his time would have been even shorter, because shadow clones could not refine chakra and had limited duration.
But his Yang Seal had made a small breakthrough.
After creating a shadow clone, the main body could transfer chakra into the clone's Yang Seal, letting the clone last longer.
It was not very useful in combat, but for a busy Mugetsu, it was extremely helpful.
In truth, Mugetsu had a faster way to become famous.
But it would make the people of the Land of Rain suffer.
If he set no conditions and taught ninjutsu freely and recklessly, he could gain reputation at terrifying speed.
But what those rogue ninja would do with their newfound power would be beyond his control.
So Mugetsu set a threshold.
The first threshold was the written insights, filtering out those with obvious malicious intent.
But some people were good at disguising themselves, so Mugetsu added a second threshold.
The Mind Body Switch Technique could transmit thoughts from one mind to another. Mugetsu used that method to teach ninjutsu, and in the process, he also glanced through the learner's memories.
For those who had committed minor evils, he would see if they could be corrected. If not, he would seal their memories and discard them.
For those who were truly wicked, he would send them straight to reincarnation.
Only those without problems would be taught immediately.
With Mugetsu's hint, the third day went far better.
A reflection analyzing the causes of war in the Land of Rain was selected as excellent. After confirming the writer was fine, Mugetsu taught the ninjutsu.
After witnessing someone receive a reward and successfully learn it, Kuroda and Ikechou became even more motivated.
But on the fourth day, Mugetsu suspended class.
"Ninja Master Sosuke," Ikechou asked respectfully, "how many days will you rest?"
He thought Mugetsu simply did not want to lecture anymore and was taking a break.
Ikechou understood that. Before gaining strength, you worked like a dog to earn resources. After gaining strength, you rested however you pleased.
"When one hundred ninja gather here," Mugetsu said, "I will lecture again."
He wanted the listeners to go out and recruit more people, accelerating the spread of his reputation.
"Does Ninja Master Sosuke care that much about reputation?" Ikechou wondered, trying to understand his personality.
Some of the early listeners were not surprised at all. They packed up and left immediately, heading for farther areas to spread the word.
This was not the first time Mugetsu had asked for promotion.
It was also his remedy for the threshold. It could speed up his rise in fame while keeping his screening methods intact.
There was no reward for recruiting new people, but many listeners had already written reflections for more than ten days.
They were not going to abandon their chance at ninjutsu now.
Not everyone stayed, of course. Some people gave up.
But that portion was small.
The effect of dozens of rogue ninja promoting the name was terrifyingly good. Everyone had their own circles, and the spreading overlapped again and again until the rumors could even reach Amegakure.
To attract more people, Ikechou put everything into praising Mugetsu.
He described him as a hidden master, a terrifying figure comparable to Hanzo himself.
He claimed the man had mastered all chakra natures, could use hundreds of ninjutsu, and was willing to teach without holding anything back.
He even started calling him Ninja Master.
If Ikechou had been the only one exaggerating, it would not have mattered.
But dozens of rogue ninja were spreading the same story at the same time.
That made it feel believable.
And so, the name Ninja Master Sosuke swept through the Land of Rain.
When Yahiko heard the name, he immediately gathered people and rushed toward Oz Village.
He did not doubt the rumors.
After all, Mugetsu was a strong person even Nagato acknowledged.
The Akatsuki were no longer obscure, and their movement only fueled the spread of the story.
Even Hanzo noticed the rumors about this so called Ninja Master, so he dispatched Rain ninja to Oz Village to investigate.
A strong figure appearing in the Land of Rain without warning was not something Hanzo could ignore. He needed to know what was really happening.
At the same time, a large number of rogue ninja flooded toward Oz Village, hoping to try their luck and learn a technique.
The promotion's impact far exceeded everyone's expectations.
"It feels… a bit excessive," Ikechou muttered, watching so many ninja excitedly talk about Ninja Master Sosuke.
Before it happened, Ikechou never imagined anyone would believe his wild exaggerations.
If a figure as strong as Hanzo existed in the Land of Rain, how could he stay unknown?
He would have been famous long ago.
Now Ikechou could only swallow his guilt and stare at the wave he helped create, unsure whether to feel proud or terrified.
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