Funeral

In the early days of Takigakure, to mourn the villagers who had died in the coup, First Takikage Amamiya Ruri personally held a grand funeral.

"The sun's so bright, it's a little glaring..." Ruri squinted under the sunlight and formed hand seals, using Kirin.

Kirin was only used halfway, creating rain clouds without summoning lightning. The weather immediately turned gloomy, and before long, a torrential rain began to fall.

"How can a funeral in Naruto not take place on a rainy day?!"

Black mourning clothes set the tone for the funeral. Many people had rushed to make their attire the day before, while some had simply draped themselves in black cloth. Even so, no one mocked them. This was their respect for the fallen, for everyone who had sacrificed themselves for the village.

"Fifty years of life, compared to the eternity of heaven and earth, is but a dream, an illusion; once born into this world, who can escape death..." Ruri quietly sang behind the scenes, unheard by anyone. Even fifty years was too long—during the Warring States Period, a ninja who lived to forty was already considered long-lived.

He slowly stepped onto the stage and began reading the eulogy. Every ninja and civilian present silently observed a moment of mourning.

"Those who sacrificed themselves for the village—their names will be remembered forever!" Ruri shouted at last. Several ninja appeared onstage at the right moment and pulled away the white cloth behind him.

Ten square steel pillars, forged overnight by the Hagane Clan's ninja. The first pillar was densely covered in names.

"Is that... I think I saw my big brother's name..."

"I saw Kyoko's name..."

"Grandpa..."

The crowd murmured softly, their faces full of disbelief. No country or shinobi village had ever recorded its fallen in such a manner, but there was no denying that this method made the surviving relatives feel the village's painstaking care.

"Today, they were the ones who sacrificed themselves. Maybe tomorrow, it will be you; the day after, me; or perhaps Ikemoto, Kishimoto, Togashi, Oda... But the Memorial Monument will faithfully record these names. They gave their lives for the village. They are the village's heroes, and they will never be forgotten!" The word "hero" was especially stirring. Ruri's words, combined with the Memorial Monument behind him, untied the knots in the hearts of many who had harbored resentment.

Perhaps Takigakure was not yet the best village, but it would only grow better with time. What mattered was that the people of the village would never forget those who had contributed to it and given their lives for it.

The rain gradually stopped. It had been artificial rainfall to begin with, so it could not last long. Takigakure after the rain looked exceptionally fresh. Everything awaited rebuilding; the old had passed away, while the new would witness Takigakure's rise.

After the funeral ended, Hagane Masamasa and Takenaka Masakata walked on either side of Ruri. The two were now the Takikage's assistants and were meant to return to the Takikage Building to work together.

"How about we go eat sushi?" Ruri suddenly suggested halfway there. He still had not formally met the sushi chef drawn from the system lottery, and since the man had saved Kakuzu, he had to thank him no matter what.

"As you command." Though Hagane Masamasa and Masakata did not know the Takikage's intentions, they knew that the culinary ninja who had opened a sushi shop was no ordinary person. The shop had only been open for a day, yet the villagers were already full of praise for it. They really did want to try it and relieve some of their recent stress.

The three characters "Sukiya" were written on a crooked door panel. Through the open entrance, they could immediately see Ono diligently making sushi.

The sushi shop had a layout similar to Ichiraku Ramen: a counter with a few round stools. Since the funeral had just ended, Ono had only just returned to open the shop, and there were no other customers.

"Lord Takikage?" Ono was slightly startled when he saw the three people enter. The Takikage Hat was especially easy to recognize.

"No need to be restrained, owner. We're only customers. We heard the sushi here is delicious, so we came to give it a try." As he spoke, Ruri smiled slightly, removed his Takikage Hat, and set it aside.

"What would the three of you like?" Ono was a worldly man. He did not become nervous because of Ruri and asked naturally.

"Just bring us something." Ruri was curious whether Ono was a person created by the system or someone from the Shinobi World who had been drawn to Takigakure. However, according to Fuma Kazama, the well-traveled and knowledgeable head of the Fuma Clan, Ono had originally been a famous wandering culinary ninja from the Land of Water.

"Cuisine is not something to be taken lightly. However, Lord Takikage may try roe sushi made from Takigakure's special sturgeon. I came all the way from the Land of Water specifically for these sturgeon." Ono set down the ingredients in his hands and looked up seriously.

"Then three servings of roe sushi, please." Ruri thought of the Takigawa River that ran through the entire Land of Waterfalls beside the village. Were the sturgeon in it actually a specialty?!

[Name: Ono]

[Overall Strength: Jonin]

[Talent: Elite Jonin]

[Attribute: Water]

[Special Ability: God of Sushi (His sushi-making skills have reached the pinnacle)]

[Evaluation: A ninja who neglected his proper profession, a chef who faithfully adhered to his duty, the God of Sushi who abandoned the ninja path and chose the way of sushi! The sushi he makes is cuisine that can truly bring happiness to people!]

All right, this was the only ninja Ruri had ever seen who was in his prime yet possessed strength that did not match his talent. Perhaps calling him a ninja was not quite right. If he were called a chef instead, the reason became understandable. But... could his egg fried rice glow?!

Before long, three servings of sushi were placed before Ruri and the others. Each person received an exquisite white porcelain plate with six pieces of roe sushi on it.

Cold food like sushi did not have much of a smell. Hagane Masamasa could not see anything particularly special about it, so he directly swallowed one piece in a single bite.

After chewing once or twice, his eyes widened. He slowed down, beginning to savor it instead. Ninjas born for war generally wolfed down their food without tasting it, except on important occasions like family banquets.

One... two... The sushi on the plate gradually dwindled. Hagane Masamasa had already finished his. When had he ever eaten such delicious food?!

"Owner, I want more!" For a ninja, one plate of sushi was only enough to make him one-third full.

"My apologies. Outside of festival periods, each person may only be served one portion." Ono looked as though he hoped for understanding. Though he had his own rules, if he wanted to remain in Takigakure, it was best not to become hostile toward someone with real authority in the village.

"You can have mine." Ruri spoke up. The sushi was indeed quite good, but his main purpose had been to confirm Ono's identity. Now that his main objective had been achieved, the sushi was secondary. It was not bad to use it to earn Hagane Masamasa's goodwill, considering he would soon be putting him to work.

"R-Really?" Hagane Masamasa said that, but his body was much more honest. After seeing Ruri nod, he immediately finished this serving of sushi as well.

"Thank you for your patronage. The total is 210 ryo." Ruri looked at the price list posted on the wall. One serving of roe sushi cost 70 ryo, with no discount just because he was the Takikage.

Naturally, Ruri was the one treating them. The previous night, he had already sent people to operate in the Black Market Exchange. Whether rebuilding Takigakure or developing it, he needed a great deal of money, so he had no choice but to supplement it with some of his private savings.