Chapter 609: Putting Ideals into Practice
After watching Danzo for several days and finding that he was so absorbed in Wood Release training that he did nothing else, Mugetsu left a Yang Seal Shadow Clone behind and sent his main body to the Shinobi Sect.
This matter mainly involved his alias, and its impact on Konoha was not particularly significant.
After arriving in Six Paths City, Mugetsu immediately dispelled the Shadow Clone stationed at the Shinobi Sect, allowing its memories to return to his main body.
He needed to know whether anything unusual had happened in the Shinobi Sect during the days he had been away, as well as Roshi's current situation.
Mugetsu's main body had been keeping watch over Danzo, but he had no information on Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, so he had to remain vigilant.
"Their focus should be on Danzo and Hanzo for now," Mugetsu thought after carefully reviewing the Shadow Clone's memories.
During the days he had been away, everything in the Shinobi Sect had remained normal.
After thinking it over, Mugetsu realized that Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu most likely only wanted to kill him.
Danzo and Hanzo working together, along with their subordinates, was indeed enough to lure out and kill Sōsuke. There was no need for them to do anything more.
"I need to get Roshi out of Six Paths City first," Mugetsu thought next.
Roshi had not explicitly stated that he wanted to join the Shinobi Sect, but over the past few days, aside from coming to Mugetsu to learn more about the Shinobi Sect, he had also gotten along quite well with Kakuzu.
Of course, Mugetsu wanting Roshi to leave Six Paths City had nothing to do with whether Roshi would join the Shinobi Sect.
It was because of Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu's recent plot against Sōsuke.
At present, Mugetsu did not know whether Uchiha Madara had obtained intelligence about Roshi being in the Shinobi Sect.
If he had, then while fighting Danzo, Mugetsu might also have to face Ninja from Iwagakure.
Unlike Danzo, who was bluffing by using Konoha's name, if Uchiha Madara exposed Roshi's presence, then as long as Roshi remained in the Land of Rain, it would create many troublesome problems.
So Mugetsu wanted Roshi to leave first and avoid the storm. Whether Uchiha Madara knew about him or not, Mugetsu wanted to give the impression that Roshi had only passed through the Land of Rain.
Once Mugetsu dealt with Danzo and integrated Amegakure's power, the Shinobi Sect's strength would rise to an entirely new level. At that point, some troubles would no longer be so troublesome.
Mugetsu called Kakuzu over. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The situation in the Land of Rain has stabilized. There should not be any major changes in the short term. I think we can consider spreading the ideals of the Shinobi Sect to nearby small countries that do not have Ninja Villages."
Spreading the Shinobi Sect's ideals in countries with Ninja Villages would be seen as provocation.
After all, in the eyes of many Ninja Villages, the Shinobi Sect was essentially a Ninja Village, only without the word "village" in its name.
"We should indeed start laying plans abroad," Kakuzu nodded in agreement.
Although the Land of Rain had only recently achieved peace, and theoretically the Shinobi Sect should be recuperating and accumulating strength, Kakuzu felt that the current chaotic situation was a rare opportunity for the Shinobi Sect.
Once the major Ninja Villages stopped fighting, it would become even more difficult for the Shinobi Sect to expand and spread its ideals.
Moreover, if they were only laying the groundwork, it would not consume too much energy and would not have a major impact on the Land of Rain.
"Do you have a suitable candidate? This will be the Shinobi Sect's first official step out of the Land of Rain, so we need someone with a deep understanding of the Shinobi Sect's ideology," Kakuzu asked.
He wanted to recommend Nagato.
First, Nagato had a sufficient understanding of the Shinobi Sect's ideals. Second, Kakuzu felt that Nagato was not mature enough and could use this opportunity to temper himself.
"Yes," Mugetsu nodded.
"Who?" Kakuzu asked, somewhat curious.
In terms of importance, this mission was undoubtedly a high-level S-rank mission.
If it was not handled well, not only would the Shinobi Sect's external image be affected, it would also be a considerable blow to the Shinobi Sect Ninja themselves.
Their dream was great peace throughout the Ninja World. If they suffered a setback on the very first step, they would naturally feel terrible.
Mugetsu smiled at Kakuzu without speaking.
"Me?" Kakuzu pointed at himself, his expression carrying both surprise and disbelief.
In his mind, Sōsuke would most likely choose Nagato, with Yahiko as the second possibility.
Nagato was Sōsuke's disciple, the number one genius in the Ninja World, and he had also learned a great deal about the Shinobi Sect's ideology.
If such a meaningful and important mission were handed to Nagato, no one in the Shinobi Sect would think there was anything wrong with it.
Yahiko's Akatsuki Organization had directly merged into the Shinobi Sect, and he had always worked diligently, earning the recognition of many Shinobi Sect Ninja. If Yahiko were chosen, Kakuzu would not be too surprised either.
"Isn't that a little inappropriate?" Kakuzu could not help but ask.
In terms of position and strength, in the eyes of outsiders, Kakuzu was undoubtedly the Shinobi Sect's number two figure.
However, the way Kakuzu joined the Shinobi Sect was different from the other Ninja. He had failed to assassinate Sōsuke and later joined the Shinobi Sect after being impressed by Sōsuke's actions.
Even if no one in the Shinobi Sect mentioned that matter now, it had still happened.
Could he, a Ninja who had once tried to assassinate Sōsuke, truly shoulder such a heavy responsibility?
"What is inappropriate about it? Your experience is the richest among the Shinobi Sect Ninja, and your understanding of the Shinobi Sect's ideology is not bad. You are the most suitable candidate," Mugetsu said, patting Kakuzu on the shoulder.
Even without the unexpected factor of Roshi, Kakuzu would still be the most suitable person during wartime.
Although Nagato was also strong, his methods for preserving his life were not as good as Kakuzu's. His experience was not rich enough either, and he might also be targeted by Uchiha Madara.
"No matter what you say, I cannot guarantee that I can handle this mission well," Kakuzu said calmly, suppressing the slight excitement in his heart.
This was not false modesty.
In Kakuzu's view, Sōsuke deserved ninety percent or more of the credit for the Shinobi Sect's establishment and development to its current scale.
The truly most suitable candidate was actually Sōsuke himself. If Sōsuke traveled through the Land of Birds, Kakuzu believed he could replicate his success in Amegakure and establish another branch of the Shinobi Sect.
"Before you do it, no one can be certain," Mugetsu smiled and encouraged him.
"I can only say that I will do my best," Kakuzu replied, crossing his arms.
"Do you have any intention of letting Roshi join the Shinobi Sect?" Kakuzu suddenly thought of something and asked.
He was somewhat unsure of Sōsuke's thoughts on this matter.
Earlier, Kakuzu had seen that Sōsuke allowed Roshi to enter his office and ask questions, so he had thought Sōsuke might want to recruit Roshi. But later, after observing Sōsuke's behavior, Kakuzu no longer felt certain.
If Sōsuke did intend to let Roshi join the Shinobi Sect, then this would be a good opportunity to invite Roshi to put the Shinobi Sect's ideals into practice.
"If he wants to join, the Shinobi Sect will welcome him," Mugetsu replied, maintaining his previous attitude toward Roshi.
"I see," Kakuzu said, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
A few days later, Kakuzu departed for the Land of Birds, which bordered the Land of Rain, accompanied by several Shinobi Sect Ninja and a disguised Roshi.
After Mugetsu handled this matter, he left a Shadow Clone at the Shinobi Sect and had his main body return to Konoha.
.....
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