First Generation Takikage

This matter was undoubtedly the top priority to consider. Only the leaders of the hidden villages under the Five Great Nations were qualified to call themselves Kage. Although the Land of Waterfalls had developed rapidly under the leadership of the new Daimyo, it was still very difficult to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Five Great Nations.

Damn it... that guy has thrown another difficult problem at me, Amamiya Ruri thought to himself. The Daimyo had given him the position of Takikage, but this seat was not so easy to occupy.

The new Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls was not a patient man; he was highly ambitious. This was exactly what Ruri valued about him. In the original story, the Daimyo of a small nation would never dare to establish a Kage for their own ninja village. Even when Orochimaru later founded Otogakure, it was never called the Otokage. This was not a matter of a ninja's strength, but a matter of national power.

By daring to appoint Ruri as the Takikage, the ambition of the Land of Waterfalls' Daimyo was clear: he wanted the Land of Waterfalls to stand on equal footing with the Five Great Nations.

Ruri shook his head slightly; that guy certainly had a lot of confidence in him.

"What, no one is speaking anymore?" Ruri said in a deep voice. Just a moment ago, these people were clamoring for him to hand over power, but now that they were faced with a real issue, they didn't dare to utter a single word.

The crowd looked at each other in dismay. They hadn't considered this layer of the situation. The Takikage had been appointed suddenly by the Daimyo, and they had previously only seen the benefits of being the Takikage—the immense power to control the village's resources—without ever thinking about it deeply.

Hagane Maomori, who had lost an arm, frowned slightly. The major ninja villages had too many experts from bloodline clans, with the weakest among them at the quasi-Kage level. The Hagane Clan, however, was gradually declining; as the strongest in the clan, he was only at the elite jonin level. He had brought his clansmen to Takigakure to develop quietly, hoping for a future rise. This challenge against Ruri had been instigated by Kubi Ichiro, who made him feel that controlling more of Takigakure's resources would benefit the clan.

How could he have imagined that the Takikage would invite the hostility of the Five Great Nations? Now, quiet development would be difficult unless the Land of Waterfalls apologized and stripped away the title of Takikage.

Both were difficult; neither the Daimyo nor this new Takikage seemed like the type to suffer in silence.

"Why not negotiate with the Daimyo to cancel the title of Takikage? Of course, you would still be the leader of Takigakure," Kubi Ichiro stroked his beard. As expected of an old man who had struggled through the Warring States period for so many years, he had come up with a lose-lose strategy in such a short time.

Although everyone acknowledged Ruri's strength and wanted him to remain as the leader, a mere village leader could not achieve the absolute control over the village that a Kage possessed. If Ruri did not agree to this, he would have to face the pressure of the Five Great Nations. Although Ruri was strong, Kubi Ichiro did not believe he could remain calm under the pressure of the Five Great Nations. Once Ruri suffered, they would be the ones to reap the benefits.

Hearing Kubi Ichiro's words, many nodded slightly. Hagane Maomori also felt this was a good plan. No matter what, Ruri would be the one taking the heat, and as the only bloodline clan in Takigakure, the pressure on the Hagane Clan would be much less.

Ruri did not reply. He was waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity he had prepared beforehand to deal with such situations.

A silence fell, making those below feel somewhat nervous. Just moments ago, Ruri had severed the limbs of the two strongest people in the village over a disagreement. Now that they were forcing him to step down from the Takikage title in the face of pressure from the Five Great Nations, there was no guarantee he wouldn't lash out again.

"Lord Takikage." At this moment, a sturdy young man wearing a mask pushed open the door.

[Name: Kakuzu]
[Comprehensive Strength: Elite Jonin]
[Talent: Quasi-Kage]
[Attributes: Earth, Water]
[Special Ability: None]
[Evaluation: A terrifying talent with extremely high ninjutsu proficiency and creativity. Proficient in Earth and Water nature transformation. If he encounters a fortuitous event, he can become a Kage-level powerhouse.]

Kakuzu was not as old as he was in the original story; he had not yet experienced the passage of time, but his inherent love for money remained unchanged. This time, Ruri had promised him a large sum of money to convince him to take the mission.

"Isn't that Kakuzu?"

"Kakuzu? That 'Ghost of Ninjutsu'?"

"That's right. I heard his ninjutsu strength is not below Amamiya Ru... the Takikage. He can be called the second person in the Land of Waterfalls..."

"It seems he cannot be underestimated either..."

Kubi Ichiro and Hagane Maomori showed a hint of unnatural emotion at Kakuzu's arrival. Amamiya Ruri was stronger, and Kakuzu had a louder reputation in the ninja world. Moreover, they were both rogue ninjas from the Land of Waterfalls. Others might not know, but their clans had their own intelligence networks and were well aware of the relationship between these two.

Kakuzu and Ruri were very close, and Ruri had been involved in the development of many of Kakuzu's ninjutsu. Kakuzu's reputation in the ninja world was louder than Ruri's, yet he never complained about Ruri being hailed as the number one in the Land of Waterfalls. This was proof of their relationship.

Kubi Ichiro had chosen to make his move today precisely because he heard Kakuzu had left the village; otherwise, he would have laid low for a while longer. He had assumed their relationship had grown distant because Ruri became Takikage, but it seemed that was not the case.

Kakuzu's departure was naturally part of Ruri's plan; he had long guessed that such things might happen in the village.

As for Kakuzu, his strength was obvious to all. Not to mention the monstrous ability of immortality in the future, even now, without the Earth Grudge Fear, his ninjutsu level was rare.

The two had known each other for many years, and Kakuzu had contributed significantly to helping the Daimyo ascend to power. Ruri's previous plan was to have Kakuzu scout for information on the Five Kage Summit. According to the intelligence, the Five Kage Summit was happening in these few days, and his appointment as Takikage had come at just the right time.

Ruri remembered very clearly that the first Five Kage Summit was, to put it bluntly, a spoils-sharing conference. Led by Konoha, the Tailed Beasts were distributed to the major ninja villages in the name of peace. Although this method of peace was a joke, there was still profit to be made.

For example, the Seven-Tails.

Ruri did not know if the Seven-Tails in Takigakure was distributed by Hashirama, but this was an opportunity—an opportunity to build good relations with the Five Great Nations and their villages. Even if he couldn't obtain the Seven-Tails, he could use this Five Kage Summit to get closer to the leaders of each village. He might only have the strength of an elite jonin, but the intelligence and ninjutsu he controlled could bring sufficient benefits to anyone.

Of course, even without the system, Ruri had the confidence to protect himself. He wasn't a fool; he wouldn't just run headlong into the Five Kage Summit without any backup plans. Even if he brought something that moved the Five Kage, it didn't mean he would be able to keep his life. The Yamanaka clan, who could read memories from a brain even after death, lived right there in Konoha.

"Lord Takikage, three days from now, the Five Kage Summit will be held in the Land of Iron." Kakuzu didn't even glance at the others, walking straight to Ruri and kneeling on one knee. His report was brief, but it was enough. Of course, he certainly hadn't only gathered this much information, and as for the rest, he naturally wouldn't say it in front of such a crowd.

"The Five Kage Summit?" A flash of light appeared in Kubi Ichiro's eyes as he formed a plan. As soon as Kakuzu returned, he knew it was impossible to make Ruri compromise today, but the news he brought seemed to be in their favor.

"Lord Takikage, if the Five Kage Summit excludes you, it is a sign of disrespect. You are also a Kage of a village; how can you be left out? As the Takikage, you must go and participate!" Kubi Ichiro used his words to force Ruri to attend the Five Kage Summit, wearing an expression of indignation. If someone didn't know the inside story, they would think he was a die-hard fan desperately hoping his idol would prove himself...