After returning to Konoha, Mokgetsu gave his disciples a day off as usual, and he himself went to the Hokage Office to report on the mission.
Originally, there was no need to report such a B-Class Mission directly to Sarutobi Hiruzen, but the unexpected situation they encountered this time was not ordinary.
Knock, knock!
Mokgetsu knocked on the wooden door of the Hokage Office.
"Come in."
Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice, Mokgetsu immediately pushed the door open and entered, "Third Hokage-sama, there might be ninjas from other Ninja Villages disguising as Konoha Ninjas attacking the Hidden Sand Ninjas."
"Mokgetsu, explain in detail," Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a serious expression.
Currently, three of the Five Great Ninja Villages have declared war on Konoha, and Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped that the last village, the Hidden Sand, would not also declare war on Konoha.
"Here's what happened: I took on an escort mission in the Land of Rain and on the way, was surrounded by a Hidden Sand squad led by Pakura. They attacked us under the guise of conducting an investigation," Mokgetsu began to recount the events leading up to their encounter with Pakura.
"Pakura." Sarutobi Hiruzen displayed a pensive expression.
Pakura is not an unknown figure in the Ninja World. Sarutobi Hiruzen had heard her name; she's a formidable ninja with a bloodline limit.
"Mokgetsu, you didn't kill any of those Hidden Sand ninjas, did you?" Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and asked.
In terms of reputation, Pakura is a well-known powerhouse in the Ninja World, while Mokgetsu is only known in Konoha. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not believe that Pakura could surpass Mokgetsu in strength.
Mokgetsu was skilled in all five Chakra Nature Transformations, had the Ice Release bloodline limit, had learned the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, knew many powerful Ninjutsu, and had intelligence advantages. Pakura could not possibly defeat Mokgetsu.
Thus, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't worried about Mokgetsu getting hurt; he was concerned that Mokgetsu might not have controlled his strength and accidentally killed some Hidden Sand Ninjas.
If that were the case, regardless of which party's ninja had killed the Hidden Sand ninjas before, the blame would fall on Konoha.
"I was forced to retaliate until we could have a proper conversation without causing any casualties," Mokgetsu replied.
"Afterwards, Pakura also admitted it was their mistake and promised to investigate again."
With his current strength, a battle with the Hidden Sand squad led by Pakura would be a one-sided affair, with no unexpected outcomes he wouldn't want.
"Mokgetsu, you handled it well," Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and praised, "I will arrange for the Anbu to investigate next."
This mission showed Sarutobi Hiruzen Mokgetsu's ability to handle matters well, not just teaching and Ninjutsu, but his other capabilities were exceptionally excellent too.
"It's fortunate that I discovered him in time; otherwise, Mokgetsu wouldn't be able to truly unleash his potential." Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself and mentally patted himself on the back while giving Shimura Danzo a figurative kick.
To Sarutobi Hiruzen, a genius like Mokgetsu couldn't possibly remain obscure for long; it must have been the darkness of Root that restricted Mokgetsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt deeply regretted that if Mokgetsu had shown such talent earlier, he might have taken Mokgetsu as a disciple directly.
Currently, Sarutobi Hiruzen's ideal candidate for the Fourth Hokage is Jiraiya, followed by Tsunade, but frustratingly, neither of them wants to become Hokage.
Many times Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to pave the way for Jiraiya, but Jiraiya would blatantly shrug it off, practically one step away from engraving "I don't want to be Hokage" on his face.
As for Tsunade, there's even less to be said; Jiraiya at least showed some respect to Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Tsunade couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's other disciple, Orochimaru, does have the intention of becoming Hokage, but Sarutobi Hiruzen particularly doesn't want Orochimaru to become Hokage.
Orochimaru has changed too much; as a child, he was just a bit reclusive and indifferent, but now he gives Sarutobi Hiruzen a sense of gradually losing humanity.
Such an Orochimaru can be part of Konoha's leadership, but becoming Hokage is unthinkable.
After reporting, Mokgetsu went straight back home.
This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't give any special rewards but provided some cultivation resources for ninjas.
After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already granted him the privilege of freely borrowing the Ninjutsu Library, and Mokgetsu was already proficient in Ninjutsu.
In terms of position, Mokgetsu only held a post at the Ninja Academy, and he was already the vice-principal, so Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't replace him with himself just to let Mokgetsu become the principal.
"There are many wandering ninjas, and numerous ninja organizations, along with ninjas from other Great Ninja Villages." After organizing the intelligence from the Land of Rain, Mokgetsu found the situation there perfectly aligned with his disciple plan.
Mokgetsu's plan was this: he had already made a strong impression on Yahiko, Nagato, and the rest in the Akatsuki organization, and now he would make a name for himself in the Land of Rain, establishing a sage-like image to attract Yahiko and the others to recruit him again.
However, Mokgetsu wouldn't immediately agree to them. He would refuse once more and continue to build his reputation in the Land of Rain until it was time, and then, in a natural progression, become their mentor through a series of trials or some other means.
As for the method of gaining fame, Mokgetsu would choose the one with the most benefits.
It's undoubtedly giving lectures, which would help him gain fame and reap rewards for teaching.
By then, the numerous ninjas in the Land of Rain would be the audience for Mokgetsu's lectures.
Mokgetsu had no worries about ninjas attending his class; after all, he had been validated many times in this field.
At that time, Mokgetsu would slightly showcase his strength, and those ninjas would be vying to attend his classes.
......
After the dismissal, Kakashi did not go to cultivate right away but went to the Konoha Library to research information about the Rinnegan.