Observing the Ceremony

Faced with Kakashi's question, Houka wore a strange expression.

It seemed Shizuki had already seen through the nonsense he had spouted earlier. Heh, and he had actually sent Kakashi to test him? Shameless.

Houka silently turned around and, as if no one else were there, leaped into a tree to continue his training.

"Hey... wait..." Kakashi stood there dumbfounded, feeling utterly miserable. Even if you weren't going to answer, you didn't have to leave so decisively, did you?

Kakashi sighed helplessly, then turned with a wry smile and headed back to Takigakure.

Though Takigakure was not as prosperous or powerful as Konoha, its atmosphere was far more peaceful.

After all, since Takigakure had been founded, the village had never suffered an invasion from an enemy nation. Thus, the vast majority of its villagers and shinobi had never been tested by war.

"What a comfortable ninja village."

Kakashi lazily pulled the little manga from his clothes, raised it before his face, and narrowed his eyes as he enjoyed it.

The next day, Takigakure's leader, Shizuki, formally summoned the Anbu and announced that he would pass his position to his son, Shibuki.

The Anbu were all Shizuki's personal armed force, each utterly loyal to him. Therefore, they had little inclination to resist his order.

After settling matters with the Anbu, Shizuki began notifying the shinobi below them one by one.

The leader's position was no trivial matter. With the disaster caused by Suiyan still fresh in mind, Shizuki did not dare let down his guard in the slightest. Whenever any of the shinobi showed dissatisfaction during their talks, he immediately had them seized, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Under Shizuki's high-pressure methods, the shinobi of Takigakure soon acknowledged Shibuki as the successor.

Afterward, Shizuki began building support for his son, praising throughout the