First Takikage

This was undoubtedly the first matter that needed consideration. Only the leaders of shinobi villages under the Five Great Nations were qualified to call themselves Kage. Under the new Daimyo's leadership, the Land of Waterfalls had developed rapidly, but it would still be difficult for it to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Great Nations.

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

The new Daimyo of the Land of Waterfalls was not someone who could sit still. He was highly ambitious, and that was what Ruri valued about him. The Daimyo of small nations in the original story would never have dared establish a Kage for their own shinobi villages. Even when Orochimaru later founded Otogakure, he had never been called the Oto Kage. This was not a matter of a shinobi's strength, but of a nation's power.

The Land of Waterfalls' Daimyo had dared appoint Ruri as Takikage, making his ambition abundantly clear. He wanted the Land of Waterfalls to rival the Five Great Nations.

Ruri shook his head slightly. That guy really had confidence in me.

"What, no one has anything to say now?" Ruri said in a low voice. Just moments ago, these people had been clamoring for him to hand over his authority. Now that there was a problem, they did not dare utter a single word.

The crowd looked at one another. They had not considered this aspect. The Takikage had been suddenly appointed by the Daimyo, and before this, they had only seen the benefits of being Takikage—the immense power of controlling the entire village's resources. None of them had thought any deeper.

Hagane Maomori, who had lost an arm, frowned slightly. The major shinobi villages had far too many powerful Kekkei Genkai clans, with even the weakest possessing quasi-Kage-level strength. Meanwhile, the Hagane Clan had gradually declined. As the clan's strongest member, he was only an elite Jonin. He had brought his clansmen to Takigakure to develop quietly in the hope of rising again someday. His challenge against Ruri this time had also been instigated by Kubi Ichiro, who believed that controlling more of Takigakure's resources would benefit the clan.

How could he have expected that becoming Takikage would draw the hostility of the Five Great Nations? Quiet development would now be impossible, unless the Land of Waterfalls apologized and stripped away the title of Takikage.

That would be difficult too. Neither that Daimyo nor this newly appointed Takikage seemed like the type to meekly accept whatever was thrown at them.

"How about discussing the cancellation of the Takikage title with the Daimyo? Of course, you would still remain 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 harmful, thankless scheme in no time.

Although everyone acknowledged Ruri's strength and would let him remain leader, being merely the head of a shinobi village did not grant the same absolute control over the village as being its Kage. If Ruri refused this proposal, he would have to face pressure from the Five Great Nations. Though Ruri was strong, Kubi Ichiro did not believe he could remain calm under their pressure. Once Ruri suffered enough, they would be the ones to share the benefits.

After hearing Kubi Ichiro's words, quite a few people nodded slightly. Hagane Maomori also felt that it was a good idea. No matter what happened, Ruri would stand at the front, greatly reducing the pressure on the Hagane Clan, Takigakure's only Kekkei Genkai clan.

Ruri did not respond. He was waiting for an opportunity, one he had prepared beforehand to deal with situations like this.

The silence made those below grow nervous. Ruri had crippled the hands and feet of the village's two strongest people at the slightest disagreement earlier. Now they were forcing him to relinquish the Takikage title and face the pressure of the Five Great Nations. There was no telling whether he would suddenly strike and injure someone again.

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

[Name: Kakuzu]

[Overall Strength: Elite Jonin]

[Talent: Quasi-Kage]

[Attributes: Earth, Water]

[Special Ability: None]

[Evaluation: A fearsome talent, possessing an extremely high level of ninjutsu and creativity. He has mastered the nature transformations of Earth and Water. Given a fortunate opportunity, he could become a Kage-level powerhouse.]

Kakuzu was nowhere near as old as he had been in the original story. He had yet to experience the changes wrought by time, but his money-loving nature had not changed. Ruri had promised him an enormous reward this time before persuading him to take on the mission.

"Isn't that Kakuzu?"

"Kakuzu? The Demon of Ninjutsu?"

"That's right. I heard his ninjutsu prowess is no weaker than Amamiya Ruri... Lord Takikage's. He is said to be the second strongest in the Land of Waterfalls..."

"Looks like we cannot underestimate him either..."

Kubi Ichiro and Hagane Maomori showed a trace of unease at Kakuzu's arrival. Amamiya Ruri was stronger, while Kakuzu had a greater reputation in the Shinobi World. Moreover, both were wandering shinobi from the Land of Waterfalls. Others might not know, but their clans had their own intelligence networks and knew their relationship perfectly well.

Kakuzu and Ruri were very close. Ruri had also had a hand in developing many of Kakuzu's ninjutsu. Kakuzu's reputation in the Shinobi World was greater than Ruri's, yet he had never resented Ruri for being praised as the strongest person in the Land of Waterfalls. That proved the nature of their relationship.

Kubi Ichiro had chosen to make trouble today precisely because he had heard Kakuzu had left the village. Otherwise, he would have remained dormant for a while longer. He had thought that Ruri becoming Takikage had caused some distance between them, but apparently that was not the case.

Kakuzu's departure had naturally been part of Ruri's plan. He had long guessed that something like this might happen in the village.

As for Kakuzu, his strength was obvious to all. Setting aside the monstrous immortality he would possess in the future, even without Earth Grudge Fear, his ninjutsu skill was already rare.

The two had known and understood each other many years ago. Kakuzu had also contributed greatly to helping the Daimyo take power. Ruri's previous plan had been to send Kakuzu to gather information on the Five Kage Summit. According to the intelligence, the Five Kage Summit would be held in the next few days. His appointment as Takikage had come at just the right time.

Ruri remembered clearly that the first Five Kage Summit was, bluntly put, a meeting to divide the spoils. Led by Konoha, the Tailed Beasts would be distributed among the major shinobi villages in pursuit of peace in the Shinobi World. Though that method of peace was simply a joke, there were still benefits to be gained.

For instance, the Seven-Tails.

Ruri did not know whether Takigakure's Seven-Tails had been given out by Hashirama, but this was an opportunity—an opportunity to befriend the Five Great Nations and their Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even if he could not obtain the Seven-Tails, he could still use this Five Kage Summit to build closer ties with the leaders of each village. He possessed only the strength of an elite Jonin, but the intelligence and ninjutsu under his control could bring ample benefits to anyone.

Of course, even without the system, Ruri was confident in his ability to protect himself. He was no fool. He would not blindly rush to the Five Kage Summit without any backup. Even if he presented something that moved the Five Kage, that did not mean he would be able to keep his life. The Yamanaka Clan, capable of reading memories from the brain even after death, lived in Konoha.

"Lord Takikage, the Five Kage Summit will be held in the Land of Iron three days from now." Kakuzu did not so much as glance at the others. He walked straight up to Ruri and dropped to one knee. His information was brief, but it was enough. Of course, he had learned far more than this. As for what he had not said, he naturally would not reveal it in public.

"The Five Kage Summit?" A glint flashed through Kubi Ichiro's eyes as he formed a plan. The moment Kakuzu returned, he knew it would be impossible to make Ruri yield today. However, the news he brought seemed beneficial to them.

"Lord Takikage, it would be far too disrespectful to exclude you from the Five Kage Summit. You are also the Kage of a village—how can you be left out? As Takikage, you must go and participate!" Kubi Ichiro used his words to force Ruri to attend the Five Kage Summit, wearing an indignant expression. Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought he was a die-hard fan desperate for his idol to prove himself...