Land of Iron

The Land of Iron is a unique nation. Long ago, ninjas reached a consensus that this country would remain neutral, free from the wars that plagued other ninja nations. It is a land ruled by samurai, possessing an independent culture, independent jurisdiction, and an independent military force.

"The scenery here is truly beautiful..." Kakuzu couldn't help but sigh. As the final sanctuary of the samurai, this place preserved its unique architecture and natural landscapes.

"It's not like it's your first time here, why the sudden sentimentality?" Ruri stood on a mountain peak alongside Kakuzu. It had to be said, the scenery of the Land of Iron was indeed breathtaking.

"Perhaps I simply never paid attention before."

"Before, you were either killing someone or on your way to kill someone; how would you have the heart to notice the scenery?" Ruri sighed. The Land of Iron rarely saw war, so its landscapes were well-preserved, but other nations were not so fortunate. Even the Land of Waterfalls, which saw the least amount of conflict, had nearly half of its capital destroyed in a single battle.

Of course, Ruri would never admit that he was the one who caused it...

Hearing Ruri's words, Kakuzu paused for a long moment before speaking: "That is why peace is truly wonderful."

What? Kakuzu, is your character setting broken? Ruri tried pinching his own hand and felt the sharp pain, confirming he wasn't dreaming. Kakuzu, a pacifist? After spending these past few years together, among all the ninjas in Takigakure, he was the one with the most blood on his hands! And now he was saying peace was wonderful?

"Big Brother, isn't it true? In times of peace, making money is much easier. The Black Market Exchange is fine, but it's all about putting a price on lives. If one could make a living through legitimate business, who would want to risk their life licking blood off a blade? One life is worth at most ten million, at least a few hundred thousand—a single merchant ship can earn that much. It's not worth it. Besides, can you really make a living off murder for your whole life? When I get old, when my strength fades and my stamina fails, I'm afraid my own head will be taken by someone else for a bounty. This life is too exhausting. If I could, I would truly want to destroy the Black Market Exchange." Kakuzu wore a rare expression of deep contemplation; perhaps these were his true thoughts.

...Ruri really wanted to tell Kakuzu that he would still be doing that exact line of work well into his nineties, and with great enthusiasm at that.

But upon second thought, Ruri felt Kakuzu was right. If not forced, who would choose to lick blood off a blade? In the original story, Kakuzu had slaughtered the upper echelons of Takigakure before defecting and joining a terrorist organization. His status was unspeakable, and he couldn't conduct legitimate business, so he had no choice but to take on bounty missions from the Black Market Exchange to make money.

For the first time, Ruri felt that his decision to groom Kakuzu as the Second Takikage was correct. At the very least, his love for money could drive the commercial development of the village!

As for destroying the Black Market Exchange... that was better left alone. It was Ruri's own enterprise, and it had earned him quite a lot of money. Now that it had grown so large, it felt a bit like a beast that had grown too big to control. Moreover, it was tied to too many things; the various forces were so deeply intertwined that it couldn't be shut down just like that.

"Alright, let's stop sighing about these things for now. Let's find a place to stay. Tomorrow is the Five Kage Summit; let's rest up today and prepare to make a big splash!" Ruri pointed toward the city in the distance—the site of tomorrow's Five Kage Summit.

Naturally, there was no one to welcome them. Even if the Five Kage arrived, no one would welcome them. During this era, most samurai still harbored deep hatred for ninjas, believing that the very existence of ninjas was why they had no place to call their own. So, the fact that they weren't attacked on the street was already a blessing.

Ruri and Kakuzu found a random inn to stay in, set up some precautions, and didn't step out again.

"System, do you have any other missions?" Ruri finally had the time to properly study the system, hoping to leave some contingency measures for tomorrow's Five Kage Summit. He had been too busy to handle the system before; being the shadow of a village was truly exhausting!

[Yes, the Village Leader System. As the name implies, as long as the host performs actions beneficial to the development of the village, you can receive rewards.]

That "as the name implies" was far too broad, wasn't it? Actions beneficial to the village... did that mean building irrigation works?

[For example: cultivating talent for the village, building irrigation, increasing prestige, etc.]

Great, it really was irrigation... but these things couldn't be done overnight. Ruri preferred the previous model where he received rewards for becoming the Takikage—one Truth-Seeking Orb at a time, six times and he'd be the Sage of Six Paths. So sweet, so very sweet...

[There is also a Village Leader Achievement module. Your previous rewards belonged to the achievement acquisition, and those rewards are immediate and effective.]

Aha, that's the one! That's good. A mass-market golden finger. Ruri said happily, "Let me see what achievements can be completed."

[Facilitate the Allied Shinobi Forces and bring about peaceful coexistence between the ninja villages.]

[Seal Kaguya, safeguard the origin of the world.]

[Find a way for the nine Tailed Beasts to coexist peacefully with humanity.]

One achievement after another made Ruri's head spin, yet there wasn't a single one he could complete immediately... or rather, with his current strength, they were very difficult to complete...

"Isn't there any way to quickly increase my strength? Even if it only lasts for a day..." Ruri wanted to participate in the Five Kage Summit in his most perfect state. Opportunities to show off in front of the Five Kage, especially Senju Hashirama, were rare; he had to cherish them. One Truth-Seeking Orb wasn't shocking enough, and its duration was too poor.

The system was silent for a moment before speaking again.

[Considering the difficulty of the achievements, the Lottery System is now enabled. For every achievement completed, in addition to the inherent rewards, the host will receive three lottery chances to draw items that help the village develop.]

A lottery? A lottery is good! A SSR today, a golden flash tomorrow—let's see the legendary luck of a certain European emperor... Items that help the village develop? What about ninjutsu? Bloodline limits? Secret techniques or forbidden arts? None of those?

The sliver of joy that had just risen was instantly submerged in despair. Ruri had no choice but to shout "Lottery" in the midst of this despair...

Perhaps drawing a saw would be enough to counter Hashirama's Wood Release, who knows...

[Ding... Congratulations to the host for obtaining the method for brewing red wine.]

What the?? Is there something wrong with this lottery? Where is the big spinning wheel? Even a nine-grid board would have been better?! It just gave it to him directly? He couldn't even drool over the things he didn't get? What a wicked system...

The method for brewing red wine was imprinted into Ruri's mind. He was silent for a moment, then decided to continue the lottery.

According to the brewing method, this red wine surpassed the taste of everything in the ninja world. As long as he let the villagers of Takigakure grow good grapes, leading them to prosperity and a moderately well-off life would be no problem at all. And once he led the villagers to prosperity, the village would develop, and wouldn't he then receive system rewards? This was a virtuous cycle: constantly draw prizes, develop the village, get rewards, increase strength, use that strength to complete achievements, and use those achievements to get more lottery chances... Although this was a long-term plan, Ruri couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

[Ding... Congratulations to the host for obtaining the construction method for a new type of waterwheel.]

A waterwheel, not bad, it would improve the efficiency of irrigating farmland...

[Ding... Congratulations to the host for obtaining Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique.]

Wood Release, not bad...

Wait, what? Wood Release?!