Amamiya Ruri

The major nations had all established ninja villages. Though the Land of Waterfalls was no bigger than a speck of land, it refused to be outdone. In the third year after Konoha's founding, Takigakure was finally established.

Today was the day Amamiya Ruri, hailed as the Land of Waterfalls' strongest ninja, took office as the First Takikage.

Ruri had met the current Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls five years ago and helped him overthrow the tyrannical regime to take the Daimyo's seat. But in terms of reputation, he was merely average, no more renowned than the other elders.

Thus, the Daimyo's personal appointment of him as Takigakure's Kage was somewhat unconvincing to the masses.

Ruri looked at the people in the meeting room and felt rather irritated. When he had helped the Daimyo rise to power, he had indeed intended to build goodwill and support him. He truly had not expected to become the Takikage just like that. Though it was only a small ninja village, a Kage was still a Kage.

The Daimyo had his own considerations as well. Takigakure had only just been established, and the position of Kage, the leader of an entire village, naturally had to be entrusted to one of his own people for him to feel at ease. Who knew whether those miscellaneous ninja harbored selfish motives? He had funded the creation of Takigakure for the Land of Waterfalls, not for ninja who might not truly be loyal.

Just as Ruri was worrying over how to handle this situation, a sudden "ding" rang out in his mind.

[The host has assumed the position of Takikage. The Village Leader System has been activated.]

"What? My cheat finally arrived?" Ruri was dumbfounded for five seconds. He had been in the Naruto world for nearly ten years, yet he had never received any cheat or golden finger. Everything he had now had been earned bit by bit through painstaking effort. This sudden cheat left him unable to react.

[Name: Amamiya Ruri]

[Overall strength: Elite Jonin]

[Talent: Jonin]

[Attributes: Wind, Lightning]

[Special ability: None]

[Evaluation: You have reached Elite Jonin strength with Jonin-level talent. Young man, you've already done very well.]

Looking at his own status panel in his mind, Ruri had to admit that the system was quite accurate. If he had not copied ninjutsu such as the Rasengan and Chidori, and secretly borrowed many forbidden techniques, allowing him to display Elite Jonin strength, then with his ordinary talent, he really would only have reached Jonin level. Over the past two years, he had already clearly stopped feeling any improvement in his strength. It seemed his talent truly was limited...

System bro, you showed up this late. You've got to give me something like a beginner's gift pack or activation reward, right? Ruri secretly looked forward to it. If it could further improve his strength, he was confident he could suppress everyone present through strength alone. After all, the Shinobi World revered strength above all else.

[Congratulations, host. You have gained the recognition of the Daimyo and the village's upper ranks and become the Takikage. The reward has been issued. Please collect it.]

The reward was being issued just like that? Ruri froze, then thought it made sense. After all, the Daimyo had personally appointed him. Even if everyone in the meeting room opposed him becoming Takikage, Amamiya Ruri still had to be Takikage—unless they no longer wanted the Land of Waterfalls' support. Without the Land of Waterfalls' material and financial backing, expecting several ninja clans to support a ninja village was simply wishful thinking.

Even clans as strong as the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan had needed the Land of Fire's support to establish a ninja village.

Where did he collect the reward? With a thought from Ruri, a space seemed to appear before his eyes. Within it floated a pitch-black sphere.

A Truth-Seeking Orb?! Ruri recognized the sphere at a glance. Although it was unlike the ones floating behind the Sage of Six Paths and there was only one, even a single one was a terrifying weapon possessing Six Paths Level power! Even an Impure World Reincarnation body would be reduced to ashes upon touching it. In this era, where no one possessed Six Paths Level power, it was simply an existence that slew gods before gods and Buddhas before Buddhas!

With something this overpowered, even the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, might not be able to defeat him—let alone if Uchiha Madara were added to the mix. After all, he could turn it into a shield, and neither Wood Style nor Susanoo could break it. Still, Ruri doubted whether this was truly a Truth-Seeking Orb. Would the system really make him invincible from the start?

[Rest assured, host. The Truth-Seeking Orb is genuine.]

The system seemed to have seen through Ruri's thoughts and promptly reassured him, but that only made him more suspicious. What kind of system was this generous? He got a divine artifact capable of destroying heaven and earth after completing his very first mission?

[Truth-Seeking Orb: A black orb containing all five elemental natures and Yin-Yang Power. It surpasses Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta, can nullify all ninjutsu in the world, and erases anything it touches. It can be shaped according to the user's will for attack and defense. Because the host possesses only Wind and Lightning attributes, the host cannot control it for long periods or alter its shape.]

Ruri read the Truth-Seeking Orb's information with a face full of suspicion. When he reached the first half, he was so excited he nearly failed to restrain himself. Once he finished reading, though, he calmed down. Sure enough, there were restrictions.

The Truth-Seeking Orb was originally a product of seven combined attributes. With only two attributes, he was already fortunate to obtain one. Using it flexibly was simply impossible. Could a ten-year-old child swing a three-hundred-kilogram hammer? Even if he could, it would already be a miracle. How could anyone expect him to perform all sorts of techniques with it?

"Lord Takikage, what do you think of our proposal? We will establish the Takigakure Council of Elders to handle the village's affairs, ease your burdens, and save you both time and effort. You will also be able to give the Daimyo an explanation."

An elderly man seated below Ruri spoke. While Ruri had been studying the system, they had already reached a decision.

A Council of Elders? And it would be responsible for all the village's affairs? Ruri had not listened carefully while studying the system, but he had not expected them to make such a proposal.

There was naturally no problem with establishing a Council of Elders. Even Konoha had one. On the one hand, it could decentralize power; on the other, it could reassure the major clans. Otherwise, people would hand over their vast family enterprises without even a shred of assurance, which would be far too disheartening.

But a Council of Elders responsible for all village affairs was another matter entirely. The council could offer suggestions, formulate specific measures, and even impeach a village's Kage, but the village's true person in charge was still the Kage!

What they were doing was undoubtedly transferring all authority belonging to the Kage to the Council of Elders, leaving Ruri, this so-called Takikage, as nothing but a figurehead. If not for obtaining the Land of Waterfalls' support, they probably would not even have needed that figurehead.

Do they want to make me a puppet...? Ruri narrowed his eyes. These people had clearly come prepared; otherwise, they would not have suddenly attacked together during the elders' meeting. If the system had not activated so suddenly, today truly would have been difficult for him. His strength had been lacking—but now, everything was different...

[Name: Kubi Ichiro]

[Overall strength: Elite Jonin]

[Talent: Jonin]

[Attributes: Water, Wind]

[Special ability: Summoning beast—lizard]

[Evaluation: Although he is only at Jonin level in every aspect, he possesses a sufficiently powerful summoning technique. Even if he slacks off in war, he can still play a tremendous role.]

His surname was Kubi? Then this so-called summoning beast must be the Kubi Giant Lizard. Chubimaru, the Shouzaki Lizard from Naruto, was definitely not weak—at the very least, it was on Gamabunta's level. With such a giant summoning beast in hand, calling his overall strength Elite Jonin was entirely justified. On the battlefield, it would not be surprising if he could even unleash quasi-Kage-level destructive power.

"Lord Takikage, why don't we settle it this way..." Kubi Ichiro continued to pressure Ruri, but before he could finish, a Black Sphere appeared out of thin air. It flashed past his side and covered his entire left leg.

It vanished.

Kubi Ichiro's left leg seemed as though it had never existed. Everything from his knee to his foot had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind not even a spot of blood. Only the smooth cut in his trouser leg proved that something had once been there.

"Th-this..." Everything had happened in an instant. Kubi Ichiro stared at the mysterious Black Sphere in the air, unable to speak. He had not felt even the slightest pain, yet his left leg had simply disappeared.

The meeting room was deathly silent. Every gaze was fixed on the Truth-Seeking Orb. That mysterious and powerful aura was not a force they could possibly touch! Yet he...

For the first time, everyone present became serious. They realized they had greatly underestimated this young Takikage. They had assumed he was, at most, an Elite Jonin, but apparently that was not the case. Although most of Kubi Ichiro's strength came from his summoning beast, he himself was no weak Jonin. Yet when Ruri attacked, not a single person had reacted.

It had been too fast—so fast that it left no trace at all. It was hard to imagine what would happen if such an attack landed on them.

Not to mention the others, even Ruri himself had not expected this. Against ordinary ninja, the Truth-Seeking Orb's power was simply unstoppable!

Ruri quickly recovered his composure. After all, he himself had released the Truth-Seeking Orb. And just as the system had explained, though it was a genuine Truth-Seeking Orb, his usage time was limited. In this brief moment, nearly half his chakra had already been consumed. He had to finish everything before it ran out.

"Proposal rejected. Does anyone have any objections?" Ruri drew the Truth-Seeking Orb to his side, then said in an almost casual tone, "My aim was a little off just now. If it had been your hand, losing one would probably mean you couldn't even use your summoning technique anymore, right?"

They were still the fighting strength of his own village. Takigakure was weak, and he would need them to develop the village in the future. Ruri could intimidate them, but crippling one of them outright would not reflect very well on him.

Kubi Ichiro glanced at his trouser leg and said nothing. With a dark expression, he looked toward the square-faced burly man beside him.

[Name: Hagane Maomori]

[Overall strength: Elite Jonin]

[Talent: Jonin]

[Attributes: Earth, Lightning]

[Special ability: Steel Release]

[Evaluation: He possesses the Steel Release Kekkei Genkai and has considerable skill in taijutsu. His ninjutsu, however, leaves much to be desired.]

Steel Release was a fine Kekkei Genkai. It was rare enough that Hagane Maomori had brought his clansmen to join Takigakure. A summoning beast could only strengthen one person, while a Kekkei Genkai could benefit an entire clan, continuously producing elite ninja.

However, all the well-known Kekkei Genkai clans in the Shinobi World had joined the Five Great Ninja Villages. Hagane Maomori, who had brought the Hagane Clan to Takigakure, certainly had his own agenda.

"A Steel Release ninja?" Ruri lightly tapped the air before him, and the Truth-Seeking Orb slowly floated toward Hagane Maomori. No one dared to stop it.

"Takikage, I think..." Hagane Maomori swallowed, seemingly wanting to say something. His instincts told him that even Steel Release, said to withstand all ninjutsu, could not block this black sphere.

"Steel Release: Steel Hardening!" The pressure brought by the Truth-Seeking Orb made Hagane Maomori instinctively use Steel Release. His exposed skin took on a metallic sheen, and ordinary ninjutsu could not even break through its defense.

Yet it was all futile. The Truth-Seeking Orb passed through Hagane Maomori's left palm without the slightest obstruction. After pausing briefly, it swept upward from below. In the blink of an eye, an entire arm was gone.

This time, everyone saw it clearly. Steel Release, reputed to have the strongest defense, could not obstruct the black sphere in the slightest. Hagane Maomori, whose body was considered the strongest in the Land of Waterfalls, could only watch helplessly as his arm disappeared.

Terrifying beyond belief.

It truly was terrifying beyond belief.

Kubi Ichiro had made his name back in the Warring States period, while Hagane Maomori was the patriarch of the Land of Waterfalls' only Kekkei Genkai clan. Neither of them was any match for Amamiya Ruri. They did not even have the ability to fight back, let alone all the other nobodies.

By this point, no one dared bring up the Council of Elders again. He had directly crippled the village's two strongest men, taking an arm from one and a leg from the other. With such a domineering style, whether Takigakure would even need a Council of Elders in the future was still in question.

"There's no problem with me wearing this hat, right?" Ruri put the Takikage Hat from the table onto his head. The Takikage Hat had been modeled after those of the other major ninja villages. Its color was Takigakure's representative color, a deep purple, with the character for "Waterfall" printed in the center. It was the symbol of the Kage.

He casually stored the Truth-Seeking Orb in the system space. Beneath the cover of the Takikage Hat, Ruri panted faintly. In just this short time, only one-tenth of his chakra remained. The Truth-Seeking Orb was truly not something someone at his level could afford to wield.

"Now then, let's discuss something serious. Will the Five Great Nations really sit by and allow a ninja village from another country to bear the title of Kage?"