"I can teach Ninjutsu, but can you tell me what a ninja is?" Mokgetsu asked the crowd with a smile.
The ninjas in the crowd looked at each other in dismay, as there were too many answers to this question. One could say that anyone who graduated from the Ninja Academy is a ninja, that being a ninja is a profession, or that it refers to someone who uses Ninjutsu.
However, they felt that a strong person like Mokgetsu must have a deeper meaning behind his question, and it wouldn't be so simple.
"A ninja is someone who can endure everything." Seeing no one respond, Yahiko was the first to give his answer.
Mokgetsu nodded with a smile but made no comment.
"A ninja is someone who can use Chakra to perform Ninjutsu," Ike Masaya quickly added.
He couldn't think of any profound insight, so he decided to speak up early to leave an impression on Mokgetsu.
Others soon realized this point and began to share their own answers.
"A ninja is a profession, an identity."
"If you've learned Ninjutsu, then you're a ninja."
Hundreds of ninjas eagerly answered the question, making the scene quite noisy.
Mokgetsu gently pressed his palm down to signal everyone to be quiet.
In less than a minute, the atmosphere returned to its previous calm.
It wasn't that Teacher Mokgetsu had unrivaled control over the scene, but the destruction caused by Mokgetsu's Ninjutsu was still evident nearby, so everyone was very respectful to him.
"Broadly speaking, none of you are wrong, a ninja can be a profession or refer to someone who can use Ninjutsu," Mokgetsu said while using Earth Release to clear the traces of battle.
"But do you know what ninjas were like in the beginning, how the term 'ninja' came to be, and what responsibilities do ninjas have?"
"It's the Six Paths Sage who created the Ninja Sect that there are ninjas!" Ike Masaya immediately answered.
On the day he arrived, Mokgetsu happened to talk about the founding of the Ninja Sect by the Six Paths Sage, so he remembered it clearly.
"The Six Paths Sage, isn't that a myth?" someone in the crowd asked in confusion.
Not everyone believed the Six Paths Sage was real; some thought he was just a mythical figure.
"The Six Paths Sage is real!" Mokgetsu first affirmed this point.
"The real Six Paths Sage didn't have the power to create the world as the stories say; he was the ancestor of ninjas and the founder of the Ninja Sect."
Many myths about the Six Paths Sage circulated in the Ninja World, with one of the most widespread being the creation myth, which claims the Six Paths Sage created the Ninja World.
This is also why some ninjas believe the Six Paths Sage isn't real, as no amount of mastery in Ninjutsu could create the world.
However, for Mokgetsu, who was familiar with the storylines, this myth wasn't entirely exaggerated.
Back when Kaguya planted the Divine Tree, it caused massive destruction to the Ninja World; it was the Six Paths Sage who traveled the world repairing the land, which led to the present Ninja World.
"Initially, ninjas referred to people of the Ninja Sect, whose main responsibility during that period was to maintain peace and create a peaceful world." After speaking about the Six Paths Sage, Mokgetsu immediately discussed the responsibilities of ancient ninjas.
Yo's eyes widened, as he, having never attended school, was completely unaware of such origins of ninjas.
At this moment, he felt very joyful because they were doing the same things as the original ninjas, walking the same path.
"Since a ninja's responsibility is to maintain peace, why are there so many ninja wars now?" Nagato couldn't help but question.
He didn't want to speak initially because Yahiko, who liked Mokgetsu, wanted to recruit him, but Nagato genuinely felt that ninjas didn't deserve to be called peace envoys.
This wasn't just because Nagato's parents died at the hands of ninjas; Yahiko and Konan were war orphans, having lost their parents due to ninja wars.
"So I'm talking about during the Ninja Sect period." Mokgetsu replied calmly, "After the Ninja Sect's demise, ninjas changed. Nowadays, ninjas are as you initially described - people who can use Ninjutsu, a profession."
Mokgetsu's expression became solemn and serious, "Today's ninjas have strayed far from their original intentions. As someone who inherited the Ninja Sect, I can't bear to see peacekeepers becoming today's war creators. Therefore, I decided to restore the Ninja Sect and learn from the original ninjas!"
The ninjas watching were dumbfounded as they looked at Mokgetsu. They had just come to learn some Ninjutsu and didn't expect such an explosive announcement: the reconstruction of the Ninja Sect.
Although most of them didn't know what the Ninja Sect was, from Mokgetsu's earlier introduction, with the Six Paths Sage being the first leader of the Ninja Sect, the value of the Ninja Sect was undoubtedly high.
The Jonin of Rain Village and the regular ninjas had different points of focus; he focused on the inheritance of the Ninja Sect.
"Could it be that he inadvertently obtained the ancient Ninja Sect inheritance, which gave him such powerful strength?" the Jonin of Rain Village speculated.
With Mokgetsu's strength, he could be considered a powerhouse across the entire Ninja World, not to mention in a small country like the Land of Rain. It didn't make sense for him to have remained obscure.
So the Jonin of Rain Village felt the truth was that Mokgetsu had been diligently cultivating after acquiring the inheritance until recently.
Nagato didn't say anything further, as he was quite satisfied with Mokgetsu's response. Today's ninjas don't deserve to be associated with peace.
"Uncle Sosuke, what you said makes so much sense. We ninjas should indeed learn from the predecessors of the Ninja Sect to create a world of peace without war," Yahiko agreed wholeheartedly.
"So, Uncle Sosuke, please join our Akatsuki. Let's strive for peace together!" Yahiko extended a second invitation to Mokgetsu.