Setting Off

After hearing Kubi Ichiro's words, everyone present wore an expression of sudden realization.

You, Amamiya Ruri, are strong, but only stronger than us; you can only throw your weight around in a tiny place like the Land of Waterfalls. If you're so capable, why not go to the Five Kage Summit? Even if you can beat us, can you really beat Senju Hashirama?

The people sitting there thought as much. To this day, they believed Ruri's strength was limited and far from being a match for the Kage of other villages, let alone the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama. If Ruri went to the Five Kage Summit, he would likely be courting humiliation. If he were lucky enough to keep his life and slink back to the village, he would surely voluntarily relinquish the title of Takikage once he realized the gap in power.

As for Ruri gaining a certain status at the Five Kage Summit or receiving recognition from the Five Kage, they hadn't even considered it; it was pure fantasy. If Ruri had that kind of ability, why would he have been confined to developing in the Land of Waterfalls all this time? His reputation would have been established back in the Warring States period, and so many people wouldn't have given him such a hard time. Of course, if he actually succeeded in securing a seat at the Five Kage Summit, they wouldn't be unable to accept him as Takikage; someone capable of sitting as an equal with the Five Kage wouldn't leave them with any objections.

Kakuzu snorted in disdain. Only one or two of these people were worth looking at. In terms of fame, all of them combined could barely compare to him, so how could they be mentioned in the same breath as Ruri, whom he regarded as his big brother? Ruri was very low-key, and even he didn't know the full extent of Ruri's true strength. The endless stream of novel ninjutsu alone was enough to make him look on with respect. In his mind, Ruri's strength was entirely on par with the Five Kage; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to scout information on the Five Kage Summit.

Kakuzu was even a little excited. Following the current trend, Ruri was definitely going to attend the Five Kage Summit. If the Five Kage didn't agree, would they end up fighting? For some reason, he felt a deep, inexplicable desire to cross blades with Senju Hashirama.

"The Five Kage Summit? Interesting. I will make it the Six Kage Summit." Ruri said these words calmly, and everyone could see the powerful confidence in his eyes, as if it were only natural that he should attend this summit.

Hearing this, Kubi Ichiro's heart skipped a beat. This development didn't seem right. No matter what, Ruri shouldn't have agreed to attend so decisively; the normal script would be to push back and forth a few times before being forced to attend! Could it be that he really possessed strength comparable to the Five Kage?

Impossible! Impossible! Kubi Ichiro emphasized repeatedly in his heart, constantly comforting himself that if Ruri really had that kind of strength, he would have shown it long ago. He must be agreeing now just to save face, putting on a confident and calm front, and would surely find some excuse to back out later!

Ruri rubbed his nose, as if he could see into Kubi Ichiro's heart. Backing out was impossible; he wouldn't have backed out even before his system was activated. However, before the system, he had only been seeking the support of the Five Kage, whereas now, he wanted to sit as an equal.

Truth-Seeking Orbs... genuine Truth-Seeking Orbs. Even if the usage time was limited, they were still Truth-Seeking Orbs possessing the power of the Six Paths. Even Hashirama couldn't take a single hit, right?

"Kakuzu, get ready. We leave now." Ruri stood up, intending to depart. There was no point in staying here any longer unless a Kage-level powerhouse suddenly popped up to fight him to the death, but that was clearly impossible.

"Hm? Yes, Lord Takikage." Kakuzu was stunned for a moment, then immediately overjoyed. After this mission, he had gained a deep understanding of the Five Kage Summit; the guards accompanying a Kage were basically the designated successors. Takigakure was a small village, yes, but the title of Takikage was still the title of a Kage!

Shinobi pursued strength, but they also pursued the status that came with it. There were only six people in the entire shinobi world who held the title of Kage; others, even if they possessed Kage-level strength, could not obtain the title. For a shinobi, the Kage title was the greatest glory and represented the ultimate recognition.

What? This script—it was completely wrong! Under the confused gazes of Kubi Ichiro and the others, Ruri and Kakuzu walked out of the conference room one after the other. The Land of Waterfalls was not far from the Land of Iron, but this was a last-minute itinerary, so there was much to prepare.

After Ruri left, Kubi Ichiro, having regained his composure, revealed a sinister look and muttered to himself: "Takikage? That doesn't exist. The entire Takigakure will be under my control..."

The people in the conference room left in twos and threes. With Ruri, the new Takikage, gone, there was no need for them to stay. Hagane Maomori seemed to have sensed something and looked at Kubi Ichiro thoughtfully. He felt that his choice had been wrong; the Takikage was not as easy to provoke as Kubi Ichiro had claimed. Perhaps he needed to wait and see for a while; for the sake of his family's safety, it wouldn't matter if he sacrificed a few profits.

"Kakuzu, the timing of your appearance was quite good!" Back at home, Ruri said with a laugh, patting Kakuzu on the shoulder. With the Truth-Seeking Orbs provided by the system, his previous preparations were no longer needed, which saved a lot of trouble.

"It's all thanks to Big Brother's teaching..." Kakuzu scratched his head and picked up the quilt from the floor, rolling it into a bundle.

"By the way, Big Brother Ruri, are you really confident about facing the Five Kage?" Kakuzu, who was packing his things, suddenly said with a solemn expression. If it were just facing one Kage, he would have absolute confidence in Ruri, but what if all five came at him at once?

Especially the Hokage of Konoha, Senju Hashirama, the man who had almost become a myth. Even as confident as he was, he only had the intention to challenge him; he couldn't even bring himself to think about a fair fight.

"You've been investigating for so long, was it all for nothing? In fact, my only opponent is Senju Hashirama. He is the one who suppresses the other four Kage. I only need to show him the strength to converse as an equal, and combined with the righteousness of the Land of Waterfalls, he won't make things difficult for me. Besides, the Five Kage aren't exactly a solid block..." Ruri appeared very relaxed. With the Truth-Seeking Orbs in hand, he could protect himself without the things he had prepared earlier. He knew Hashirama's character better than anyone. The rise of the Land of Waterfalls and Takigakure was a good thing; it let all the small countries and small villages know that even a tiny place could earn respect. To Hashirama, this was a necessary step for peace in the shinobi world.

Perhaps in the original story, Hashirama giving the Seven-Tails to Takigakure was done out of this very consideration.

"That's true," Kakuzu thought about it and agreed, then smiled: "Then on this journey, as Big Brother's guard, I will definitely protect you well!"

"It would be nice if you could refrain from picking up random bounty missions on the road..." Ruri shook his head and laughed. Kakuzu had a bad habit from the past: he would go to the Black Market Exchange to pick up bounty missions for extra cash halfway through a job...