Aftermath

Kakuzu had suffered a heart injury and fallen into a coma, making it impossible to move him easily. Ruri immediately used the Four-Pillar House Technique to construct a building on the spot and summoned all the village doctors.

Medical ninjutsu was not yet widespread in this era. As far as Ruri knew, only Hashirama, Mito, and Tobirama had grasped the basics. However, these three were all Konoha ninja. Although it was currently a time of peace, it was unrealistic to expect these three high-status individuals to travel far from Konoha to Takigakure to treat Kakuzu.

Since no one else knew how, Ruri had to develop it himself. He gritted his teeth and selected a few ninja with precise chakra control, assigning them alongside the doctors to the house where Kakuzu was recuperating, hoping they could develop medical ninjutsu. To this end, Ruri had to send people to the river every day to catch fresh, live fish as research material.

Fortunately, Kakuzu still had time. Ninja of this level possessed extremely tenacious vitality; even with a piece of his heart missing, he managed to cling to life under the doctors' crude treatment.

"Takikage-sama... is Kakuzu-sama unable to wake up because his heart was injured? I... can I give him my heart?" Chie asked, sounding somewhat fearful. She was from the Tsuchigumo Clan, but now that her clansmen had retreated to parts unknown, she was the only one left in the village, and she didn't know if her identity had been exposed.

Hearing Chie's words, Ruri finally took notice of her. He had heard from the leader of the Fuma Clan that Kakuzu had been stabbed in the heart precisely because he wanted to protect Chie from the fallout of the ninjutsu. Otherwise, given Kakuzu's strength, he would have had no trouble maneuvering against those people until Ruri returned.

Sigh. Ruri sighed. With the Tsuchigumo Clan having vanished, Chie's existence had become awkward. Kakuzu had assumed Chie was a survivor of the Takigakure coup who had managed to escape to report the news, which was why he had risked his life to protect her. If he were to tell Kakuzu about Chie's true identity later, heaven only knew what would happen.

Let her stay here for now; keeping Kakuzu company was fine. The young girl possessed the strength of a genin, and the fact that she hadn't attacked Kakuzu during the chaotic battle spoke volumes. The Tsuchigumo Clan had retreated without taking her, and the system had also indicated she wasn't valued by them; she was clearly treated as a discarded pawn.

"Chie, from now on, you shall be called Doma Chie, do you understand? Kakuzu saved you, so he is now under your care." It wasn't that Ruri blindly trusted Chie, but she truly posed no threat. She wasn't alone in that room; there were many ninja and medical staff accompanying them day and night. Telling her to look after Kakuzu was also a way to keep her under surveillance.

"Mm..." Chie always felt that Ruri seemed to have sensed something, so she didn't say more. Although she wasn't old, she understood one thing clearly: if her identity as a member of the Tsuchigumo Clan were exposed, she would surely die a miserable death.

"By the way, who was the one who brought Kakuzu here earlier? He looks like a new face." Ruri asked Hagane Maomori, who was by his side. After Kakuzu was wounded, a young man with a small build had brought him to Ruri. To be able to break through the encirclement of the Fuma ninja, his strength was quite extraordinary.

"It seems to be a culinary ninja who arrived in the village last night. We were all imprisoned at the time, so I am not clear on the details. My apologies. However, he shouldn't be an enemy. According to the villagers, when Rihei used the forbidden technique, he helped evacuate many people and even held off quite a few Fuma ninja." Hagane Maomori said apologetically.

A culinary ninja? Could this be the God of Sushi that was drawn from the system lottery? He actually had this level of combat power? Could Uncle Ichiraku also be hiding his strength?!

But now was not the time to think about such things. The village was in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt. Rihei's final Dofuten had affected many villagers, and the buildings on the north side of the village had been razed to the ground. It would take time to rebuild, and the Fuma Clan and the remnants of the Kubisaki Clan also needed to be dealt with.

After Ruri arranged for the treatment of the villagers, he sent an envoy to notify the Daimyo. The problem with the ninja had been solved, but Takigakure had suffered a heavy blow to its vitality. He needed the Daimyo to supplement the population and provide more doctors to treat the wounded. The list of other material needs was endless, and Ruri finally began to face the busy life of a Takikage.

Fortunately, after roughly arranging a few things, everything began to move in a positive direction. First was the Hagane Clan's pledge of loyalty to the death, followed by the Daimyo transporting a large amount of supplies. The Tsuchikage, having learned of the news from somewhere, sent a delegation that would arrive in Takigakure in a few days. The envoys were mostly skilled in Earth Release, and among them were some construction craftsmen. In addition to bringing supplies to show goodwill and condolences, they also intended to provide assistance during the reconstruction of Takigakure.

Upon learning of the incident, the Hokage and Mizukage also sent letters, and the Kazekage had already dispatched Sand ninja to search everywhere for traces of the Tsuchigumo Clan. No one would believe that Retto's actions were not motivated by a desire for the Hero Water or a plot to seize the waterfalls of the Land of Waterfalls. Ruri, however, didn't care; Takigakure needed the goodwill of allies at this moment.

After Ruri hastily rebuilt some houses in the village using the Four-Pillar House Technique, he had to begin preparing for the funeral.

It had only been a few days since the establishment of Takigakure, and to have to hold such a sorrowful event was truly inauspicious. However, if handled well, such things could also serve to unite the hearts of the people.

The funeral was set for the third day. The survivors had already collected the bodies, and the village was permeated with a sense of oppressive sadness, in addition to the smell of blood.

Those villagers who had moved into Takigakure had expected the ninja village to provide a stable life with its powerful military deterrence. They hadn't expected to encounter a coup only a few days later. Relatives and friends had all died; besides grief, there might also be a hint of resentment.

While handling these trivial matters, Ruri discovered a talent, a middle-aged man named Takenaka Masakata.

[Name: Takenaka Masakata]
[Overall Strength: Jonin]
[Talent: Elite Chunin]
[Attribute: Water]
[Special Ability: Summoning - Conch]
[Evaluation: His strength is quite weak, yet he possesses extremely high intelligence. He is the ideal candidate for a squad leader and can also perform support work very well.]

Masakata was one of the only seven Jonin currently in Takigakure, and what made Ruri value him over the others was his brain.

Being able to break through the shackles of talent to reach the Jonin level was worthy of recognition. What was even more commendable was that Masakata seemed to have a certain talent for politics, making one feel he could become a brain like Shikaku or Shikamaru. When Ruri mentioned the funeral, he proposed the strategy of a memorial monument.

During the Warring States period, wars were frequent, and deaths were normal. No one cared about the deaths of ordinary people. If the war was intense, there wouldn't even be a proper funeral for clan elders or even the clan head; most were buried on the spot, at most with a wooden sign marking the grave of so-and-so.

But now was a time of peace, and this point had to be taken seriously. Other ninja villages had not yet experienced turmoil or major wars. As the first ninja village to hold a funeral for its ninja and residents, this funeral had to be conducted with sufficient solemnity to reflect the importance they placed on the residents and to soothe their emotions. The memorial monument was the perfect proposal.