Aftermath

Kakuzu had been wounded in the heart and had fallen unconscious, so he could not be moved carelessly. Ruri directly used the Four-Pillar House Technique to build a house on the spot, then gathered all the village doctors there.

Medical ninjutsu had not yet become widespread in this era. As far as Ruri knew, only Hashirama, Mito, and Tobirama had begun to grasp its basics. But all three were Konoha ninja. Though it was now a time of peace, it was unrealistic to ask three figures of such standing to leave Konoha and come to Takigakure to treat Kakuzu.

Since no one knew how, they would have to develop it themselves. Ruri reluctantly selected several ninja with precise chakra control and assigned them, along with the doctors, to the house where Kakuzu was recuperating, hoping they could develop medical ninjutsu. To that end, Ruri had to send people to catch fresh live fish from the river every day as research material...

Fortunately, Kakuzu still had time. A ninja of his caliber possessed extraordinary vitality. Even with a small piece of his heart missing, the crude treatment from the doctors had somehow kept him alive.

"Ta... Takikage-sama, is Kakuzu-sama unable to wake up because his heart was injured? Could I... could I give him my heart?" Chie was somewhat frightened. She belonged to the Tsuchigumo Clan, but she had no idea where the rest of her clan had retreated to. She was the only one left in the village, and she did not know whether her identity had been exposed.

Only after hearing Chie did Ruri notice her. According to the leader of the Fuma Clan, Kakuzu had been stabbed through the heart because he wanted to protect Chie, who had been caught in the ninjutsu. Otherwise, with Kakuzu's strength, he could definitely have held those people off until Ruri returned.

Ruri sighed. With the Tsuchigumo Clan vanishing without a trace, Chie's existence had become awkward. Kakuzu believed Chie was a survivor of Takigakure's coup who had barely escaped to warn them, which was why he had protected her so desperately. If Kakuzu learned her true identity later, who knew what would happen.

She could stay here for now. Keeping Kakuzu company was fine too. This little girl had the strength of a Genin, yet she had not attacked Kakuzu amid the chaos, which already said a great deal. The entire Tsuchigumo Clan had retreated without taking her along, and the system had also said that she was not valued by the clan. She had clearly been abandoned as a pawn.

"Chie, from now on, your name is Doma Chie. Understand? Kakuzu saved you, so I'm leaving him in your care." It was not that Ruri blindly trusted Chie; Chie simply posed little threat. She was not the only one in this room. Many ninja and medical personnel were keeping Kakuzu company day and night. Saying she was to care for him also meant she was being watched.

"Mm..." Chie always felt that Ruri had noticed something, but she said nothing more. Though she was still young, she understood one thing very clearly: if her identity as a member of the Tsuchigumo Clan was exposed, she would die horribly.

"By the way, who was the one who brought Kakuzu here just now? He looked unfamiliar." Ruri asked Hagane Maomori beside her. After Kakuzu was injured, a short young man had delivered him to Ruri. To break out of the Fuma ninja's encirclement, his strength had to be anything but ordinary.

"He seems to be a cooking ninja who arrived in the village last night. We were all imprisoned at the time, so we don't know the details. My apologies. But he should not be an enemy. According to the villagers, when Rihei used his forbidden technique, he helped evacuate many people and held off quite a few Fuma ninja as well," Hagane Maomori said apologetically.

A cooking ninja? Could that be the God of Sushi the system had given her through the lottery? He actually had that kind of combat ability? Could Uncle Ichiraku be hiding his strength too??!

But now was not the time to think about that. The village was in ruins and needed rebuilding. Rihei's final Dofuten attack had affected many villagers, and the buildings in the northern part of the village had been leveled. Rebuilding would take time, and the Fuma Clan and the remnants of the Kubisaki Clan also had to be dealt with properly.

After arranging treatment for the villagers, Ruri sent envoys to notify the Daimyo. The ninja problem had been resolved, but Takigakure had suffered severe losses. They needed the Daimyo to supplement their population, and they also needed more doctors to treat the wounded. Their other material needs were countless. Ruri had finally begun to face the busy life of a Takikage.

Fortunately, after the basic arrangements were made, everything began moving in a better direction. First came the Hagane Clan's vow of absolute loyalty. Then the Daimyo sent over large quantities of supplies. The Tsuchikage had somehow learned of the news and would soon dispatch a delegation to Takigakure. Most of the envoys were skilled in Earth Style, and some were construction craftsmen. Besides bringing supplies as a gesture of friendship and sympathy, they also intended to help with Takigakure's reconstruction.

After learning of the matter, the Hokage and Mizukage also sent letters. The Kazekage had even dispatched Sunagakure Ninja to search everywhere for traces of the Tsuchigumo Clan. No one would believe Retto was not after either Hero Water or the waterfalls of the Land of Waterfalls. Ruri did not mind. Takigakure needed the goodwill of allies right now.

After hastily using the Four-Pillar House Technique to rebuild some houses in the village, Ruri began preparing for the funeral.

Takigakure had only been established a few days ago, yet it was already holding such a sorrowful event. It truly was inauspicious. Still, if handled properly, such an occasion could unite people.

The funeral was set for the third day. The survivors had already collected the bodies, and besides the stench of blood, the village carried an oppressive air of grief.

When those villagers moved into Takigakure, they had thought a ninja village's powerful military deterrence would bring them stable lives. Yet only days later, they had encountered a coup. Their relatives and friends were dead. Beyond grief, there was likely some resentment as well.

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

[Name: Takenaka Masakata]

[Overall Strength: Jonin]

[Talent: Elite Chunin]

[Attribute: Mizu]

[Special Ability: Summoning Beast—Conch]

[Evaluation: His strength is pitifully weak, yet he possesses an exceptionally high IQ. He is an excellent candidate for squad captain and can also perform support work very well.]

Masakata was one of Takigakure's only seven Jonin. Compared to the other Jonin, what Ruri valued most about him was his brain.

Being able to break through the limits of his talent and reach the level of Jonin was worthy of recognition. More importantly, Masakata seemed to possess a certain talent for politics. He gave Ruri the impression that he could become a brain like Shikaku or Shikamaru. When Ruri mentioned the funeral, he proposed the strategy of building a Memorial Monument.

During the Warring States Period, wars broke out constantly, and people dying was perfectly normal. No one cared about the deaths of ordinary people. If the fighting was intense, even the deaths of clan elders or the clan head would not receive a proper funeral. More often than not, they were buried wherever convenient, with at most a marker reading "Grave of XXX."

But this was now a time of peace, so such matters had to be taken seriously. The other ninja villages had not yet suffered unrest or major wars. As the first ninja village to hold funerals for its ninja and residents, Takigakure had to make this funeral solemn enough to demonstrate how much it valued its residents and soothe their emotions. A Memorial Monument was precisely the best proposal.