Chapter 608: Konoha Clan Dispute

Rain Country, Six Paths City.

"Strange, why is the Chief Kakuzu standing around the main road with his men?"

Residents coming and going from the town curiously watched Kakuzu by the roadside; they were certainly no strangers to this second-in-command of the Ninja Sect.

At this moment, a group that looked like a ninja squad appeared on the main road.

The leader was a ninja wearing a Rain Ninja forehead protector, but the members behind him wore no forehead protectors.

Seeing that the person he was waiting for had arrived, Kakuzu smiled and walked over to shake hands with the leading Rain Ninja.

"Shirakawa, welcome back." Kakuzu said with a smile.

Shirakawa was actually Ro, who had gone with him to develop the Ninja Sect in Bird Country; however, to avoid revealing his identity, Ro used a pseudonym.

When Kakuzu returned to the Ninja Sect, there were still some tasks left in Bird Country, but worried that something might happen to the Ninja Sect, he came back early and left all the finishing work to Ro.

That was why Kakuzu came to welcome Ro when he learned he was returning—after all, Ro had helped him with a lot of work.

Otherwise, with his status, there was no need for him to receive anyone outside the city.

The Ninja Sect ninjas behind Kakuzu curiously observed the ninjas behind Ro.

They knew the others were also Ninja Sect ninjas, from the Ninja Sect's Bird Country branch.

The reason they didn't wear forehead protectors was that the Bird Country Ninja Sect ninjas did not yet have any.

Someone suggested that the Ninja Sect ninjas in Bird Country also wear the Rain Country forehead protector, but the leader directly vetoed it.

In the end, it was decided at a meeting to redesign a forehead protector belonging specifically to the Ninja Sect, no longer using the Rain Ninja Village's forehead protector.

Therefore, until the Ninja Sect's forehead protector was designed, the Bird Country Ninja Sect ninjas would not wear any.

The Bird Country Ninja Sect ninjas were also sizing up the Ninja Sect ninjas wearing Rain Ninja forehead protectors, but with a difference—their gaze carried a hint of respect, a tribute to the pioneers and predecessors.

"Let's go, I'll take you to see Uke. Report your work first."

Ro nodded.

After personally practicing the Ninja Sect's philosophy in Bird Country, it wasn't long before Ro formally joined the Ninja Sect and became a Ninja Sect ninja.

Watching a country move in a good direction through his own efforts gave Ro a sense of personal transcendence, making him feel that his previous life had been so empty and meaningless.

Led by Kakuzu, the group walked toward the Ninja Sect base.

"Has something happened recently? Why does Six Paths City feel a bit deserted?" Walking along the main street of Six Paths City and seeing the sparse crowd, Ro asked in confusion.

While the Third Shinobi World War was raging, Uke successfully brought order to Rain Country, turning it into a peaceful and stable nation.

Rain Country, originally situated at the crossroads of the three great countries with a superior geographical position, after Uke's reforms immediately became the center of neighboring countries, and its population and economy experienced a leap forward.

Six Paths City, where the Ninja Master Uke was stationed, was even regarded as the safest place in Rain Country—from nobles and wealthy merchants to commoners, everyone wanted to buy a house and live in Six Paths City.

So although Six Paths City had been built only recently, in terms of prosperity it was in no way inferior to Rain Country's capital.

"A while ago, Konoha sent Orochimaru to negotiate, but we broke off talks. Perhaps they think war is coming," Kakuzu replied calmly.

To be honest, he could understand those who left.

After all, Konoha was the victor of the Third Shinobi World War and the strongest ninja village in the current ninja world.

Not to mention ordinary people, even Kakuzu himself, the second-in-command of the Ninja Sect, was uncertain—unable to determine the future of the Ninja Sect and Six Paths City—only that Kakuzu was not afraid of death.

Dying in battle for ideals and beliefs is far better than being betrayed by trusted comrades.

"Konoha..." Ro's expression turned serious.

He was powerful and had a special status, so he knew many secrets of Iwa Village and understood the strength of the five great ninja villages.

The might of the five great ninja villages was difficult for ordinary ninja organizations to imagine.

Even Iwa, with over ten thousand active ninjas, was extremely cautious when facing other great ninja villages, and even then, it became a defeated country in the Third Shinobi World War.

"Kakuzu-sensei, is our Ninja Sect going to war with Konoha?" a Bird Country Ninja Sect ninja following behind Ro couldn't help asking.

Kakuzu had played a decisive role in the formation of the Bird Country Ninja Sect, and most of the current Bird Country Ninja Sect ninjas were familiar with Kakuzu, so they asked directly.

"Not necessarily, but even if war does break out, don't be too pessimistic. It'll be fine," Kakuzu said with a reassuring smile.

"This is not my idea; it is the directive of the supreme leader, Yosuke." Kakuzu added.

When Kakuzu said this, the ninjas of the Land of Birds immediately felt much more at ease.

They had never met Yosuke; they had only seen photographs and portraits.

But they had heard of Yosuke's deeds, and they felt that if it were that legendary founder of the new Ninshu, he should indeed have a way.

After arriving at the Ninshu stronghold, Kakuzu had someone arrange for the Land of Birds' Ninshu ninjas, while he himself went together with them to the Ninshu office building and entered the leader's office.

"The initial establishment of the Ninshu in the Land of Birds has been completed..."

Roshi first reported on his work, without asking about Konoha matters.

After listening, Muyue thought for a moment and then asked, "What are your thoughts on the future development of the Ninshu in the Land of Birds?"

"Strengthen the propagation of Ninshu ideology, let more people understand Ninshu ideology, thoroughly investigate the ninja forces in the Land of Birds, distinguish friends from enemies, clear out enemies that affect public order in the Land of Birds, and strengthen public order construction..." Roshi replied after a brief thought.

He had referenced some of Yosuke's measures for rectifying public order in the Land of Rain, and also had his own ideas after working on the ground in the Land of Birds.

Although the Land of Birds had no ninja village, it still had ninja forces; in the current ninja world, very few places were completely without ninjas.

Where there are ninja forces, there are different philosophies and disputes.

Roshi believed that by leveraging the contradictions between different forces, they could win over as much support as possible, thereby strengthening the Ninshu's power.

"It seems you've gained a lot from this trip." Muyue showed a satisfied smile.

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Roshi's ability to maintain enthusiasm and think diligently after actually doing things showed that he truly supported the ultimate ideals of the Ninshu.

This was an unexpected bonus. Previously, Muyue had chosen to shelter Roshi, and much of the reason was actually due to the tailed beast.

Now it was different; even if Roshi didn't have the Four-Tails, Muyue would still stand up to Iwagakure for Roshi's sake.

"What Iwa missing-nin? This is a great warrior of our Ninshu!"

"You've really changed a lot." Even the Four-Tails inside Roshi couldn't help but exclaim.

The old Roshi was taciturn and often would start quarreling after just a few words, but now Roshi could passionately report for half an hour.

"But it's quite good." The Four-Tails gave a thumbs up.

The Four-Tails didn't know how others saw it, but it certainly liked Roshi's change.

The current Roshi gave it a feeling that even if placed in the Ninshu of the Six Paths Sage's era, he would be highly valued by the Sage of Six Paths.

In the mental world, Roshi returned a thumbs up to the Four-Tails; he was also very grateful for the chakra support the Four-Tails had always given him.

"Leader, I heard we currently have a conflict with Konoha. Do you need me to show up in the areas around Konoha? It should be able to divert some of Konoha's attention." Roshi asked.

He didn't intend to wage war against Konoha in the Land of Fire by himself, but rather wanted to use his status as a jinchuriki to cause friction between Iwa and Konoha.

Konoha and Iwa had just signed a peace treaty, and it ended with Iwa's defeat, so it was unlikely that the two sides would go to war again in the short term. However, a jinchuriki was crucial to a ninja village, so Iwa would certainly still take action, just not in the form of war.

Although he didn't have a good impression of Iwagakure, it was still the village where he grew up. He didn't want to go back, but he also wouldn't deliberately cause war between other ninja villages and Iwa.

"Not needed. Just focus on doing your job well; there's no need to worry about Konoha matters." Muyue shook his head and said.

Kakuzu followed up, saying, "Even if the sky falls, Yosuke is the tall one to hold it up. Don't worry yourself over nothing."

Roshi's idea was feasible, but it would put himself in danger.

Compared to Roshi, Kakuzu still preferred to trust Yosuke, after all, Yosuke was the man who had almost one-shot him.

Of course, trust is trust, but Kakuzu was still quite curious about what trump card Yosuke had.

If he wanted to use raw power to deal with a major ninja village, then Yosuke would at least need to have strength comparable to Hashirama Senju.

Roshi finally nodded and walked out of the office together with Kakuzu.

Kakuzu suddenly remembered something and said to Roshi, "Let me take you to see something good. You've definitely never seen it before."

Roshi had originally wanted to rest and read, but when he heard Kakuzu say this, he became a bit interested.

Perhaps because they were both missing-nin by origin, or because of their time struggling together in the Land of Birds, the two had not known each other for long, but had become good friends.

Then Kakuzu took Roshi to Sasori's laboratory.

When they arrived, Sasori had just finished surgery on a ninja with a severed arm and was checking for adverse reactions, while Nagato was helping to record on the side.

"Clench your fist, swing it out with force; gather chakra in your palm, and perform Wind Release chakra nature transformation..." Sasori instructed.

Rōshi's eyes widened at the sight.

At first glance he hadn't noticed, but upon looking closer, he saw that one of the ninja's arms was not a normal arm.

As the ninja fired poison needles and popped out a hidden blade from that arm, Rōshi's expression grew even more shocked. What the hell, it looked kind of like a puppet.

"Amazing, isn't it? This is our Ninja Sect's latest research result — the puppet prosthetic!" Kakuzu said proudly.

"Whether it's a lost leg or a lost arm, we can transplant a prosthetic through this method to eliminate disability."

"Moreover, our prosthetics not only look no different from normal limbs, but can also be used just like normal limbs. They can not only use ninjutsu, but also be modified to add hidden weapons to increase strength."

"But the effect being too good is also a headache. I heard that some weaker ninjas want to cut off their own healthy limbs to get prosthetics." Kakuzu said, pretending to have a headache.

Rōshi was speechless.

Although it sounded ridiculous, when he thought about it carefully, he realized there was some truth to it.

In the ninja world, the strong rule. Countless ninjas, in order to gain power, would even attempt forbidden jutsu that could cost them their lives, let alone switching arms and legs.

"Director Kakuzu, is there something you need?" Nagato walked over to the two and asked.

Nagato had long noticed Kakuzu and the other arriving, but because he was just recording an experiment, he hadn't gone over earlier.

"Nothing much, just bringing him to see our Ninja Sect's research results." Kakuzu patted Rōshi on the shoulder and said.

"I actually have some questions. Is now convenient?" Rōshi thought for a moment and asked.

"Sure." Nagato nodded.

"What is the current success rate of this prosthetic transplant? And what side effects are there if it fails?" Rōshi quickly asked.

Whether it's an arm or a leg, both are indispensable for a ninja. Losing one hand means you can't perform hand seals; very few ninjas can perform seals with one hand.

And losing a leg is even more serious than losing a hand. If you lose a hand, there is at least the possibility of one-handed seals, and you can still use taijutsu. But if you lose a leg, you can definitely say goodbye to being a ninja.

Because a ninja with only one leg can only become a target in battle.

Being a ninja is a profession where you risk your life for a living. Even if ninjas consciously try to protect their limbs, accidents always happen. So there are actually quite a few ninjas who lose arms or legs.

The reason they aren't commonly seen is that once you lose a limb, you retire and become an ordinary civilian.

Rōshi felt that this prosthetic was extremely important to the Ninja Sect. If handled properly, it could not only bring in a large amount of money, but also possibly gain more power.

"One hundred percent. No failures, no side effects." Sasori said calmly, answering the question for Nagato.

No kidding, this was just a derivative technique of his Human Puppet Technique. How could there be problems?

"But currently only Sasori can perform this jutsu, and only he can make prosthetics. Others are still learning." Nagato added.

Sasori raised his head. Of course those mediocre people couldn't properly learn a genius's technique — just like how he couldn't defeat Nagato with ninjutsu.

Some of the enthusiasm in Rōshi's eyes faded. It couldn't be mass-produced, and even the surgery could only be done by Sasori alone, so its limitations were significant.

Still, Rōshi found it very impressive. When speaking with Sasori, he subconsciously added a trace of respect — this was an invention that could benefit the entire ninja community.

After touring the lab for a while, it was soon time for a meal. Just as Kakuzu was about to take Rōshi to the cafeteria to eat together, a Ninja Sect ninja came up to them.

"Lord Kakuzu, Konoha has sent another negotiation team. This time Orochimaru is leading it." The Ninja Sect ninja reported.

"They've arrived."

Kakuzu wasn't too surprised; Konoha had notified them in advance this time.

"Do you want to go eat or join in the fun?" Kakuzu looked at Rōshi and asked.

"Let's go together. I'm not that hungry. After the talks, we can eat together." Rōshi replied.

Even if he was hungry, he would still go see what was happening first.

He still didn't want the Ninja Sect to go up against Konoha. For now, the two sides were not on the same scale; the gap was too large.

"Alright, let's wait for Nagato, and we'll go see what joke they've come up with this time."