"During wartime, you went to other countries just to attend lectures with a bunch of wandering ninjas and ninjas from small nations?" Onoki was speechless.
Onoki's speechlessness wasn't because Kitsuchi went out for something, but because Kitsuchi's reason was too forthright, to the point of being a bit silly.
If he said he was scouting the situation in the Land of Rain, wouldn't that sound more legitimate? If he added that he was there to pull in new rising ninja forces, Onoki might even allocate him some funds.
"Then I'll stop bothering you." Kitsuchi thought it was not possible and prepared to give up.
Onoki pondered for a moment and said, "You can go to the Land of Rain, and you can attend the lectures, but you must do a task while you're there."
"Now that the arrangement in the Land of Grass has failed, we need to expedite the arrangements in the Land of Rain to deplete Konoha's power."
Despite Kitsuchi being too forthright, after all, he is his son. Onoki wasn't so unreasonable as to not fulfill such a small request.
With the situation on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, one more Kitsuchi or one less Kitsuchi would make little difference.
Kitsuchi showed a simple, honest smile and nodded in agreement.
Due to the nature of the task, besides Kitsuchi himself, he also brought three Hidden Rock Jonin and five Hidden Rock Chunin.
The Land of Wind is also one of the major nations bordering the Land of Rain, and it has received a fair amount of intelligence about ninja masters giving lectures.
"It is said that this ninja master is unparalleled in Fire Release and can suppress Hanzo's Water Release even in the rain." Pakura showed an expression of interest.
She's a Scorch Release expert but also proficient in Fire Release. Due to the high efficiency of Scorch Release in killing, Pakura usually doesn't use Fire Release.
However, the Fire Release of this legendary ninja master, Sosuke, was evidently no ordinary Fire Release. After all, being able to reverse attributes and defeat Half-God Hanzo is somewhat defying logic.
Pakura checked her schedule and found that she had no significant engagements on the days Mokgetsu was lecturing.
After much thought, Pakura decided to go to the Land of Rain to join the fun.
However, she is ultimately a Hidden Sand Hero. If Mokgetsu doesn't present anything she finds interesting on the first day, Pakura will quickly leave.
As time passed, even Mokgetsu's original form far away in Konoha heard about ninja master Sosuke's upcoming unrestricted lectures.
"Ninja master? If only Teacher Mokgetsu weren't so low-profile, that title would surely belong to Teacher Mokgetsu!" Obito stated outright that Sosuke was no match for Mokgetsu.
Obito might not care about other titles, but he felt the title of ninja master suited Mokgetsu perfectly.
As for Sosuke, he was merely a title thief.
The class Mokgetsu taught was the strongest class in the history of the Ninja Academy, producing several renowned prodigies. What teaching accomplishments did that ninja master have?
"Don't underestimate Sosuke. Though he may not compare to Teacher Mokgetsu, he must be a very capable ninja. Otherwise, he couldn't have gained so many followers in such a short time." Kakashi advised Obito not to underestimate the people of the world.
In Kakashi's mind, Sosuke was like a strengthened version of Hanzo, someone best not to provoke.
Yamato scratched his head; he had no idea who the ninja master was or who Hanzo was, unable to comprehend their conversation at all.
His unique experiences had turned him into a novice with zero knowledge about Ninja World affairs, making even Obito seem scholarly by comparison.
Shisui wasn't interested in Obito and Kakashi's topic. During his break, he usually thought about the affairs of the Uchiha Clan.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, are you going to join? I think you can showcase your teaching skills live so they know who the true ninja master is." Obito hoped Mokgetsu would reclaim his rightful title.
Mokgetsu chuckled and shook his head, feeling it would be pointless to show off at someone else's event.
"There will always be someone better, somewhere in the world. Don't assume I'm unmatched," Mokgetsu advised.
Though it's good that his disciples trust him, over-reliance can lead to certain issues.
"Sage Mokgetsu is indeed all-powerful and unparalleled." Obito muttered under his breath.
Even Sage Mokgetsu himself couldn't possibly shake his faith.
Root.
"Unrestricted lectures? Sosuke, you're indeed a threat." Shimura Danzo immediately recognized the future danger this person would pose upon receiving intelligence from Root.
Initially, Sosuke gathered ninjas through his lectures, ultimately forming the Ninja Sect.
Now, Sosuke's grand lecture event led Shimura Danzo to conclude he wanted to expand and strengthen the Ninja Sect.
The Rain Village borders the Land of Fire, and Shimura Danzo wouldn't allow a small nation bordering the Land of Fire to become too strong, as it doesn't align with Konoha's interests.
Shimura Danzo immediately dispatched a Root squad to the Land of Rain to bolster the Root forces there.
He felt the Ninja Sect would make significant moves in the Land of Rain, potentially offering him the opportunity to acquire the Ninja Sect's legacy and the Rinnegan.
Note: Fugaku having Mangekyo is an original plot from the animation, but even within the animated originals, the Mangekyo was awakened only after going to the battlefield and losing a close friend. Currently, Fugaku hasn't participated in the third war, so he doesn't have the Mangekyo Sharingan.