"I wouldn't move if I was in your place."
Everyone except Shigeki, who identified the voice, wanted to move. However, their legs froze as the scenery around them changed. Instead of a lush green valley, everyone was surrounded by long spears that had risen from the ground. Had they moved, they would have been stabbed by several spears.
They quickly looked in the direction of the voice. A large cave opening appeared out of nowhere on the surface of the slopes. A masked man stood next to it while leaning against the wall.
Mitsuo asked, "What's the meaning of this? Shigeki, we trusted you. How could you betray us, you bastard?"
The same thoughts ran through everyone's head. Fujin chuckled and said, "Relax. He didn't betray you. I just wanted to test out the new base."
Fujin snapped his fingers. In an instant, all Earth Spears crumbled and fell to the ground. The rogue Tanigakure ninjas finally relaxed. Hayato asked, "Is this the benefactor you mentioned? Quite an impression he made. I have never seen such a high level of Genjutsu. I never felt anything influencing my chakra."
Fujin said, "This isn't Genjutsu. Instead, it is Fuinjutsu. It'll ensure that the base is safe even when I am not here."
Fujin's response surprised them. None of them had ever seen Fuinjutsu in this way and to such a degree. In fact, some of them were still suspicious.
Fujin said, "Anyway, enough small talk. Shigeki, are these the ones you wanted to recruit?"
Shigeki nodded and said, "I managed to find 10 of the 13 I mentioned and found another friend who was banished from the village a year ago."
One by one, Shigeki introduced all 11 members. The members covered a lot of specializations. There were a couple of sensors and a decent medical ninja. At the end, he added, "Mitsuo and Hayato were formerly Jounins in our village. The rest were Chunins."
Fujin observed them properly and said, "Alright. Hayato and Mitsuo will be Captains. The rest will be Field Agents."
Shigeki immediately realized, 'Shiden doesn't think that they are strong enough to be considered Jounins in a major village.'
Hayato said, "While we have agreed to join, Shigeki said that we won't learn any more information before we actually join you. We would like to hear the further details."
Fujin nodded and said, "In order to be a member of the Phantom Haven Society, you have to accept the Phantom Seal. It will prevent you from ever leaking the secrets about the organization or your fellow members. At the same time, it will also give you some benefits."
Hearing that a seal would be placed on them made them tense. Though Shigeki had impressed them with the Phantom Will, they didn't share his trust in Fujin. Hayato asked, "How can you guarantee that you won't harm us?"
Fujin shrugged and said, "If I wanted to harm you, you'd all be dead. Regardless, I'm not forcing you. If you want to leave, you can. If you want to stay and achieve our common goals, then stay. Without the seal, the members of the Phantom Haven Society will be very vulnerable to spies from hidden villages. I can't risk that. I hope you understand."
Fujin's words were very nonchalant. It was as if he didn't care whether they stayed or not. It irked the Tanigakure ninjas. Mitsuo asked, "Don't you care about helping the weak and the innocent?"
Fujin replied, "I do. But I can't force others to do so. After all, everyone wishes that the world would be at peace. However, how many actually do something about that wish? If I have to force someone to do it, then I'll be better off without trying at all."
In an instant, everyone suddenly remembered what Shigeki had explained to them about the Phantom Will. They understood why Fujin was nonchalant. It wasn't that he didn't care about the goal. Rather, he didn't have any interest in forcing or pursuing anyone to work towards that goal. It would be rather pointless if he had to do that and the organization wouldn't have many people who are truly dedicated to its goal.
Everyone became quiet. The 11 ninjas Shigeki brought with him exchanged eye glances. Finally, Hayato stepped forward and said, "We are willing to join, but we need your help in getting justice for us like you helped Shigeki."
Fujin shook his head and said, "I won't help anyone get their revenge. If you join the Phantom Haven Society, then you won't be allowed to use our members to get your revenge. While I won't stop you if you were to go alone, you won't be allowed to take anyone else with you, no matter how close you are."
Fujin's words surprised everyone. Considering that Shigeki had appeared to recruit them, they assumed that they would be able to put forth some demands. To their surprise, Fujin didn't entertain any demands at all. It left them in a tough spot.
They did agree with Phantom Will and hence followed Shigeki. However, they were more interested in how Fujin helped Shigeki get revenge and wanted to use his help as well. In addition, life as a rogue ninja was very difficult. If they were to get a safe haven where they could stay together and form a strong force, then their life would go much easier. So, their intentions weren't entirely noble.
However, Fujin's words forced them into a corner. Fortunately, Fujin added, "Of course, if the one who you want to take revenge on does something that harms the innocent, then it would be a good reason for the Phantom Haven Society to make a move.
However, the Phantom Haven Society will only move when there isn't a grave danger to us. After all, we won't be able to help anyone if we are dead. If your targets hide inside Tanigakure, you shouldn't expect to get revenge any time soon. How soon you'll be able to get revenge will depend on whether your target is actually a scum and how much effort you put into the Phantom Haven Society."
Fujin's words finally gave them hope. They exchanged glances and said at the same time, "We want to join the Phantom Haven Society."
Fujin nodded. One by one, he applied the Phantom Seal on everyone. It failed once when the ninja resisted subconsciously, but was applied on the second try after Fujin explained it.
Once the seal was applied, Hayato asked, "Shigen, now that we have joined you, I hope you can answer this question truthfully. Would you have really let us go if we had refused to accept the Phantom Seal?"
Fujin chuckled and answered, "Why would I stop you? Besides, what will you even do with this information? Will you go out and tell the world that a guy who is supposed to be dead and a masked person wants to make an organization that aims to bring peace to this world?"
Fujin's words left everyone, including Shigeki, speechless. Fujin had instructed Shigeki to not mention the fact that he had created similar organizations to anyone else. So, for everyone apart from Shigeki, the Phantom Haven Society was merely a two-man organization. What was even the point of leaking this information?
Hayato coughed and said, "Well, if you had become successful in the future, we could have leaked the location of your base."
Fujin waved his arms dismissively and said, "This is just a mini base. There are 3 other such bases in this valley. And that's apart from our main base. If you guys had left and betrayed us in the future, all that would welcome you would be a deadly trap. Even a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster wouldn't have noticed the trap until it's too late. While some ninjas could survive, you fellows would definitely have died."
Once again, everyone was speechless. There was no need to think about how advanced that base was. All 12 of them would have died without any chance of resisting had Fujin wanted them dead. Heck, they wouldn't even know how they died! And now they learnt that Fujin still had 3 more similar bases along with a main base that would have undoubtedly been much more advanced!
Unknown to them, Fujin had initially planned just one mini base to act as a cover for any spies that infiltrated. However, on seeing how easy it was to create it, he created 3 more. After all, the more the merrier. If Hiruzen was here, he would have understood Fujin's point of view.
Fujin said, "That said, even though I built the bases, they are still very basic. You guys will need to do some construction. Come on in."
Fujin entered the cave. The others quickly followed him in. As soon as they did, their eyes widened. Mitsuo muttered, "I never would have imagined that there would be something like this in the normal-looking valley!"
In front of them was a massive base. Though its appearance was basic as everything was carved out of rocks and had no decorations whatsoever, the base in itself was extremely huge! They could easily house over a couple of hundred people inside the cave without making it seem crowded.
While everyone was observing, Fujin said, "There isn't much more to see here. I'll let you guys handle the decorations and make this place look more welcoming and accommodating. I'll inform you guys later how the seals here work and how you can use them in case someone somehow discovers the base and manages to forcefully enter. For now, let's visit the main base."
