Chapter 478: Striking at Konoha's Strongest Taijutsu User

"Before deciding whether to cooperate, I hope everyone will consider one question." Mu Yue said.

"That is the most important task of our Ninja Sect at this stage."

The atmosphere in the room became very quiet, and all the ninjas were pondering the question Mu Yue had raised.

"The most important task, to build upon the foundation of the ancient Ninja Sect and make it better, to achieve eternal peace in the ninja world?" Yahiko thought of the ultimate dream of the Ninja Sect.

The ultimate dream of the Ninja Sect was the greatest dream Yahiko had ever heard.

To create a world of peace, where everyone lives equally, understands each other, and has no hatred.

Yahiko shook his head. The ultimate dream, while magnificent and stirring, was somewhat unrealistic for the present. There were too many problems to solve; it was not a goal achievable in a short time.

As time passed, people gradually began to whisper to each other.

"There's no way our current task is to overthrow the daimyo, right? That would make the Land of Rain even more chaotic."

As more people joined the discussion, the volume gradually increased.

"Nagato, tell us your thoughts." Mu Yue spoke again, calling on Nagato.

Nagato slowly stood up, his expression hesitant.

He felt Mu Yue should have called on Yahiko instead, as Yahiko was much better at this than he was.

When Nagato saw Mu Yue's encouraging expression, he took a deep breath, and most of the hesitation on his face faded. He couldn't let down Mu Yue's expectations.

"I believe the most important task of the Ninja Sect at this stage is to restore peace to the Land of Rain." Nagato stated his conclusion first.

"Currently, the Land of Rain is incredibly chaotic due to various reasons. This chaotic environment has become the breeding ground for ninja organizations of all sizes.

These ninja organizations further disrupt the Land of Rain, making it a mix of good and bad elements. Coupled with the activities of ninjas from various great villages, the people of the Land of Rain live in anxiety every day. This is truly tragic for a country." Nagato then began to explain his reasoning.

"By systematically dealing with the ninja organizations within the country, driving out ninjas from other villages operating here, and eliminating the rampaging rogue ninjas—only by removing these elements causing chaos in the Land of Rain can true peace be restored, and the Ninja Sect continue to advance."

After finishing his long speech in one breath, Nagato carefully observed his surroundings, especially the expressions of Mu Yue and Yahiko.

This truly came from Nagato's heart. It was precisely because his parents died in the war that he understood how important and rare peace was for the Land of Rain.

Yahiko clapped enthusiastically for Nagato. "Nagato, you said it perfectly! The urgent priority is to restore peace; everything else can wait."

Yahiko thought the same, though his specific ideas would differ somewhat from Nagato's.

The other ninjas also clapped along with Yahiko, agreeing with Nagato's words.

"The Land of Rain has been chaotic for too long. Everyone longs for peace. If we can bring peace to the Land of Rain, our Ninja Sect will surely gain great support."

Mu Yue nodded. "We must take it step by step. We cannot forget our ultimate goal, but we also need to consider practical reality. Restoring peace to the Land of Rain is what we should focus on most at this stage."

Mu Yue had no idea how to achieve that ultimate goal, so for now, he didn't overcomplicate things. He would start by doing what he could.

Hearing that Mu Yue also agreed, Nagato couldn't help but smile slightly as he sat down.

With the goal clarified, the question of whether to cooperate with the Hidden Rain Village could be reduced to one issue: can cooperation between the Ninja Sect and the Hidden Rain Village bring peace to the Land of Rain?

Most of the ninjas in the Ninja Sect were natives of the Land of Rain who had grown up there. Though they sometimes complained about Hanzo's current inaction, no one denied the role the Hidden Rain played for the Land of Rain.

Without the Hidden Rain Village, the Land of Rain would definitely be several times more chaotic than it is now.

There were indeed countries in the ninja world that maintained peace without ninja power, but the Land of Rain could never become such a country because it bordered three great nations and was a valuable strategic location.

"The Hidden Rain Village has many rain ninjas, and our sect has a strong figure like Master Sōsuke. If the Ninja Sect truly cooperates with the Hidden Rain Village, it might form a force that even the great nations wouldn't dare underestimate." A ninja from the sect realized this might actually work.

Then, the great nations warring with each other, wary of the Land of Rain's strength, would not easily provoke it, and they could take the opportunity to solve a series of domestic problems.

"If the Hidden Rain Village sincerely cooperates with us, the power of the Land of Rain will reach an unprecedented peak." Yahiko gradually leaned toward cooperation.

Although he had nearly died at Hanzo's hands, for the sake of a greater dream, Yahiko could put aside past grievances and cooperate with Hanzo.

Most of the Ninja Sect's ninjas gradually leaned toward cooperation.

They didn't like Hanzo, but they longed for the Land of Rain to restore peace.

Kakuzu's expression remained unchanged. In fact, he thought the key point of this matter was not the Rain ninja, but Iwagakure, who had acted as the mediator.

However, Kakuzu believed that Sōsuke, that old fox, would surely not overlook this key point, so he didn't rush to speak.

"Personally, I think it's possible to cooperate with the Hidden Rain Village, but with one prerequisite and one key point." Mu Yue began to share his views.

"The prerequisite for cooperation is equal partnership. We need a status equal to the Rain Shinobi Village, and the Rain Village must recognize the legitimacy of the Shinobi Sect."

Mu Yue saw through Iwagakure's intentions. In order to turn the Rain Country into an asset against Konoha, Iwagakure would certainly be willing to pay a price.

Hanzo, who was in a difficult position, also needed to ease relations with the Shinobi Sect, and he was willing to pay a certain cost as well.

As long as the Shinobi Sect agreed to cooperate, and as long as the demands were not excessively unreasonable, Iwagakure and the Rain Village would find a way to fulfill them.

This was a rare opportunity for the Shinobi Sect. Even if it only became a semi-official organization, conducting affairs would be much more convenient in the future.

"The key point of cooperation is that this is a phased cooperation—it can only be a phased cooperation. A truly peaceful Rain Country does not need both the Rain Village and the Shinobi Sect to coexist!"

For the Shinobi Sect, the Rain ninja were a group worth winning over, but the Rain Shinobi Village had to be eliminated.

The reason the Shinobi Sect needed to cooperate with the Rain Village was that the current Rain Village was beneficial for peace, but once the Shinobi Sect's ninja strength developed, the coexistence of two major ninja forces would become a threat to peace.

"Tch, I knew it wouldn't be so simple." Kakuzu revealed an expression of "I told you so."

He didn't believe that Mu Yue would simply let go of the Rain Village that had nearly destroyed the Shinobi Sect.

Mu Yue said it was cooperation with the Rain Village, but in reality it was a delaying tactic. As long as their strength was insufficient, they would get along; once they were strong enough, they would directly destroy the Rain Village.

"If that's the case, then the cooperation is very promising." Chichang also thought Mu Yue's idea was perfect.

The current Shinobi Sect had strong high-level combat power, but in other aspects it was just an ordinary medium-sized ninja organization. Such a Shinobi Sect was not qualified to replace the Rain Village in maintaining peace in the Rain Country.

After all, no matter how strong Mu Yue and the others were, one person couldn't do the work of a thousand ninja. Having enough mid- and low-level ninja was very important for a country's stability.

In the end, when the vote was taken, almost all the ninja supported cooperation.

After confirming the decision to cooperate, Mu Yue conveyed the Shinobi Sect's demands to Huang Tu.

Cooperation was acceptable, but the Shinobi Sect and the Rain Village were equals; neither could command the other, and everything had to be negotiated. At the same time, the Rain Village had to recognize the Shinobi Sect's legitimacy in the Rain Country, not treat it as an ordinary ninja organization.

"These are very reasonable demands. I will report them honestly to Lord Hanzo." Huang Tu's heart was delighted.

He wasn't afraid of Mu Yue making demands; he was afraid that the Shinobi Sect had no intention of cooperating at all—then there would really be no way to proceed.

Once the Shinobi Sect and the Rain Village achieved peace, Iwagakure would use a small scheme to create the illusion that Konoha ninja were targeting the Rain Country. Then, with old and new grievances combined, they would have no trouble getting the Rain ninja to fight Konoha.

Huang Tu again rushed back to the Rain Village's leader's office and told Hanzo the good news.

"Lord Sōsuke understood your difficulties, Lord Hanzo. He expressed willingness to cooperate, but raised a few small requests." Huang Tu relayed Mu Yue's demands to Hanzo.

After hearing them, Hanzo's face darkened. "These damn 'small requests'..."

Not only did a ninja organization of just over a hundred people want to be on equal footing with the Rain Village, it also demanded a status similar to an official shinobi village within the Rain Country.

Actually, the first point wasn't a big deal for Hanzo—he could decide that himself.

After all, even if the cooperation treaty didn't explicitly state equality, the Shinobi Sect's ninja wouldn't take orders from him, and the Rain ninja wouldn't take orders from Sōsuke.

But the second point was different. Hanzo would have to negotiate with the Rain Country's Daimyo, and it would also leave a hidden problem.

"This is a serious matter. I need to discuss it with the Daimyo." Hanzo ultimately decided to agree to the Shinobi Sect's proposal.

Because whether they recognized the Shinobi Sect or not, the Shinobi Sect existed. If they could improve relations with the Shinobi Sect through cooperation, then the outcome might be different.

Konoha.

On the training ground, Might Guy was excitedly warming up, while across from him sat Teacher Chen, reading a book.

Since he had no more rivals among his own students, Might Guy had set his instructor, Teacher Chen, as his next target to defeat.

Although Teacher Chen wasn't strictly the strongest in Konoha taijutsu, he was still among the top few. If Might Guy could defeat Teacher Chen, he believed he would take a big step forward on the path to becoming the strongest.

"Ebisu, do you think Guy has a chance to win?" Genma Shiranui couldn't help asking the Ebisu beside him.

The scene of Might Guy furiously opening the Six Gates and using the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode to fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen on the Eastern Front battlefield was still vivid in his mind, so even though the opponent was Teacher Chen, renowned as Konoha's strongest in taijutsu, Genma Shiranui thought Might Guy wasn't without a chance.

Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses. "Hard to say. Teacher Chen's taijutsu experience is immense. In a real fight, Guy may not get the upper hand."

Although Might Guy was truly strong, Ebisu still felt that the seasoned Teacher Chen would win.

"If he really wins, that would be amazing. Wouldn't he take the title of strongest taijutsu from Teacher Chen?" Genma Shiranui once again felt the gap in the world.

Back then, the seven-man squad on the Eastern Front—only they were still chunin.

Seeing Might Guy finish his warm-up, Teacher Chen closed his book, put it away, and assumed a fighting stance.

"Gai, you're already a jōnin. This time I won't hold back when we fight." Teacher Chen reminded him.

Teacher Chen was actually quite moved. From the bell-snatching test, he could see Might Kai's talent in taijutsu and knew that Might Kai would surpass him and go further on the path of taijutsu.

But Teacher Chen hadn't expected Might Kai to advance so quickly. Barely eleven years old, Might Kai already had the strength to challenge him.

"A battle of youth must be fought with full power!" Might Kai flashed his bright white teeth and gave Teacher Chen a thumbs-up.

A smile also appeared on Teacher Chen's face. Having such a disciple, he really felt proud of him.

"Begin the fight!" Ebisu shouted when he saw the two were ready.

"Eight Gates, Fifth Gate, Gate of Life, open!" Facing Teacher Chen, Might Kai dared not be careless at all and directly opened the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates.

Might Kai knew very well how powerful Teacher Chen was—an extremely strong physique and superb taijutsu. Without using the Eight Gates, he wasn't qualified to spar with Teacher Chen.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The two burst out chakra at the same time and flashed forward, both extremely fast.

Their figures rapidly crossed, and uppercut and knife-hand clashed together. Then both simultaneously retreated and kicked out whirlwind kicks.

Bang! Bang!

Their fists and feet kept colliding, fierce as a sudden storm. The air currents from the collisions made the leaves on the treetops rustle.

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu couldn't see their movements at all. Just as they thought they had caught an action, a closer look revealed it was an afterimage.

"As expected of Teacher Chen!" Might Kai laughed loudly, feeling a burning pain from several parts of his body.

On the surface they seemed evenly matched, but actually Might Kai was at a disadvantage, because he couldn't touch Teacher Chen, while Teacher Chen had struck his body several times.

Fighting Teacher Chen reminded Might Kai of his first battle with Transparent World Kakashi—all his attacks were seen through, and he could almost only take hits.

The only difference was the method. Kakashi saw through him with his Transparent World ability, while Teacher Chen relied on decades of accumulated taijutsu training.

Might Kai knew he couldn't continue like this; he had to use his trump card.

Might Kai silently closed the Fifth Gate, then focused his breathing to the extreme, entering the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode state.

As soon as the Rock Breathing Chakra Mode was activated, Might Kai's aura immediately soared, and his physical strength and speed also skyrocketed.

Teacher Chen narrowed his eyes and began to gather more chakra.

Might Kai's speed was so fast that he seemed like a green light shooting toward Teacher Chen.

Teacher Chen steadily caught Might Kai's incoming fist with his palm.

At this level, it was still within his ability to handle.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The impact of fist and palm knocked their hair backward. Teacher Chen grabbed Might Kai's fist and flung him away.

"Leaf Dragon God!"

The flying Might Kai grabbed a branch to land safely, then gathered a large amount of chakra and kicked out the signature taijutsu that made Teacher Chen famous throughout the Leaf.

xhytd