The Five Shadows

Ruri nearly bounced off his bed. This was Wood Release, the Wood Release that could suppress Tailed Beasts! Although its power was exaggeratedly boosted by Hashirama's massive chakra reserves, there was no denying that in the early stages of the Naruto world, Wood Release could thrash most other ninjutsu. Fire Release, Water Release—it didn't matter; they all had to bow down before Wood Release. Hadn't Yamato been hailed as an elite Anbu ninja just for being able to utilize 20% of Wood Release's power? If not for the power scaling collapse in the later stages where Six Paths-level entities started popping up, Wood Release would absolutely qualify as a top-tier bloodline limit!

[Please remain calm, Host. The lottery only granted a single Wood Release ninjutsu, not the Wood Release bloodline itself. The Host can only use the acquired ninjutsu and does not possess the Wood Release ability.]

With the system pouring cold water on his excitement, Ruri calmed down. Thinking about it carefully, this was simply unrealistic. The lottery was just a small branch of the achievement rewards; how could it possibly grant a complete Wood Release? The previous wine-brewing method was more realistic. But wait, didn't the system say the lottery only produces things that help the village develop? How did it end up drawing a ninjutsu?

[Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique. It can construct complex wooden residences, which is quite convenient and practical. It can even create multi-story buildings, allowing for the construction of civilian housing for the village.]

That made so much sense that he was completely speechless. Using Wood Release to build houses was just too convenient!

With all three lottery chances used up—a wine-brewing method, a waterwheel manufacturing method, and a house-building ninjutsu—it seemed like none of these would be useful at a high-stakes event like the Five Kage Summit.

Should he try telling Hashirama that they had good wine here? Ruri remembered that Tsunade's love for gambling and alcohol was something she picked up from Hashirama. Or perhaps talk to the Kazekage about the waterwheel? Living in a vast desert, they must really need that...

Forget it, forget it. Just go with the flow. After thinking for a long time without any good ideas, Ruri decided to go to sleep. Anyway, with the Truth-Seeking Orb in hand, and given that no one else understood what it was, securing a status equal to the Five Kage shouldn't be a problem.

The night passed without incident.

"Kakuzu, get ready to head out. The Five Kage should be entering the city right about now..." Ruri's words were only half-finished when he had to stop.

"Hey, hey... put down the kunai and shuriken first, and stow away those explosive tags. Don't look so eager to fight. We aren't here to brawl. The Five Kage Summit isn't a Kage tournament, and it's certainly not the World Martial Arts Tournament..." Ruri shoved everything in Kakuzu's hands into his ninja tool pouch. Why was the morning starting off so poorly?

"Big Brother, didn't you say earlier that you wanted to fight Senju Hashirama?" Kakuzu asked, looking confused as he tied his tool pouch.

"Maybe it won't come to a fight..." Although it was just one ninjutsu, it was still Wood Release. Given Hashirama's personality, he couldn't help but show some respect. If a fight really broke out, the opponent might be Tobirama. After all, even Hashirama's own brother didn't have Wood Release; it would be quite awkward if an outsider learned it instead.

"Fine..." Kakuzu looked uninterested. He had thought he'd finally get to fight the God of Shinobi. Even if he lost, at least he could brag about it later.

"If anyone is going to fight, it'll be me. Not to put you down, but you'd only be able to handle the Kage's bodyguards..." Ruri felt helpless. He could sense their chakra from far away; the bodyguards accompanying the other Kage were all quasi-Kage level. Compared to them, even though Kakuzu was famous, he still didn't quite measure up. It seemed he would have to find a way to boost Kakuzu's strength after returning to the village. He also needed to track down the Earth Grudge Fear. How could a village have only one ninja worth mentioning? They needed to build a harmonious ninja village together.

When talent isn't enough, secret arts must fill the gap. There was always a way to improve the strength of Takigakure Ninjas. Ruri wasn't sure about his own talent, so feeling that his strength wasn't increasing, he had desperately focused on improving his survival skills. It would be best if he could revive after death like Orochimaru. Consequently, he had frantically collected a pile of secret arts, combined with ninjutsu copied from the original story. He knew quite a few techniques now; the chakra-sensing secret art he was using was something he had found years ago in the ruins of a destroyed minor clan.

In Ruri's perception, ten bright, glaring chakra signatures appeared at the city gate. Their massive chakra levels were like giant lightbulbs. They seemed to have agreed beforehand, walking into the city together.

Ruri naturally used the Body Flicker Technique, a survival ninjutsu, with masterful skill. Influenced by Ruri, Kakuzu was also quite good at it. Thus, the two of them flickered right in front of the Five Kage.

Hashirama: ?

Ishikawa: ?

Retto: ?

A: ?

Byakuren: ?

A standard "five-fold confused" expression. There weren't many people in the ninja world who could make all five Kage show that expression at once. This was likely an unprecedented and unrepeatable scene. Ruri really wanted the system to reward him with a camera; if he could record this "Five Kage Confusion," he could brag about it for a lifetime!

The thought was nice, but others didn't give Ruri the time. The moment he landed, a water dragon rose from beside him, charging toward him with the force of a thunderbolt. But the next moment, Ruri waved his hand, and the entire water dragon vanished into thin air: "Don't be so impatient..."

What happened? The First Mizukage, Byakuren, who had launched the attack, was horrified. Being able to conjure such a powerful Water Dragon Bullet out of thin air was enough to prove his mastery of Water Release. Yet, in reality, it was as if nothing had happened at all; that formidable Water Dragon Bullet hadn't even dampened the newcomer's sleeve.

Although Byakuren had attacked, the other four Kage didn't move. Hashirama frowned, unsure if the newcomer was friend or foe. If he had been the one to block Byakuren's Water Dragon Bullet during a surprise attack, he would have had to use Wood Release, yet the other party had done it with a casual wave of his hand.

The others shared the same thought. As old rivals, they knew best just how strong Byakuren's Water Release was. Someone who could wave their sleeve and make a Water Dragon Bullet disappear was definitely no mediocrity. Even if they weren't equals, they were at least someone capable of engaging in a dialogue on equal footing.

Tobirama observed everything. He had felt a ripple in space just now, but his status was merely that of the Hokage's bodyguard. Since none of the Five Kage had spoken yet, it wasn't his place to chime in, so he remained silent. He was an expert in Water Release and knew how terrifying Byakuren's techniques were. He had also researched space-time ninjutsu, and even at a purely theoretical level, that initial understanding was enough to make him realize the horror of such arts. If the other party had truly shifted the Water Dragon Bullet elsewhere using space-time ninjutsu, it was definitely not someone he could afford to provoke right now.

[Name: Byakuren]

[Overall Strength: Kage]

[Talent: Kage]

[Attribute: Water, Wind]

[Special Ability: None]

[Evaluation: A peerless powerhouse who has studied Water Release to the extreme. However, given his talent, this is only to be expected. In reality, he is just an old, salty fish.]

That was close, that was close. Fortunately, he had been prepared and had taken out the Truth-Seeking Orb immediately. This First Mizukage was indeed just as Kakuzu's investigation had suggested: although he was an old man over fifty, his temper was even more explosive than the Raikage's. Ruri spoke as he walked: "Lord Mizukage, attacking the moment we meet is a bit too much, isn't it? This isn't the Land of Water."

"Land of Water?" Byakuren was stunned, not knowing why Ruri had suddenly mentioned the Land of Water. Then, he looked around and understood. The passing samurai were staring at him with hostile eyes. Within the borders of the Land of Iron, the country of samurai, using such a large-scale ninjutsu was a provocation to the Bushido they had always strictly upheld. This was also why the other four Kage hadn't intervened.

However, although these samurai held hostility toward them, they didn't step forward to interfere. The existence of ninjas was an irresistible trend, and they couldn't fight it. Moreover, they knew that these few were arguably the strongest ninjas of the current era, controlling the majority of the power in the ninja world; they weren't people the Land of Iron could provoke at will.

As Ruri stepped closer, the Five Kage appeared guarded but did not offer much obstruction.

"Who are you?" Hashirama stepped forward and asked.

"The First Takikage, Amamiya Ruri."