This matter undoubtedly required primary consideration; only the leaders of shinobi villages subordinate to the Five Great Nations were qualified to call themselves Kage. The Land of Waterfall had developed rapidly under the leadership of its new Daimyo, but it was still very difficult to rival the Five Great Nations.
Damn it, that guy gave me another difficult problem, Amemiya Ruri thought to himself. The Daimyo gave him the position of Takikage, but this position was not so easy to hold.
This new Daimyo of the Land of Waterfall was not a patient person at all and was very ambitious. This was also what Amemiya Ruri valued. The Daimyo of small countries in the original story would not have dared to establish a Kage for his shinobi village.
Even later, when Orochimaru established Otogakure, he was not called the Otokage. This was not a question of a shinobi's strength, but a question of a nation's power.
Daring to appoint Amemiya Ruri as Takikage, the Daimyo's ambition was clear. He wanted the Land of Waterfall to stand on equal footing with the Five Great Nations.
Amemiya Ruri shook his head slightly, "That guy has a lot of confidence in himself."
"Why, no one is speaking now?" Amemiya Ruri said in a deep voice. Just now, these people were clamoring for him to hand over power, but now that they encountered a problem, they didn't dare to say a word.
Everyone looked at each other. They hadn't thought of this. The Takikage was suddenly appointed by the Daimyo. They had only seen the benefits of being a Takikage before – the immense power to control the entire village's resources – but had not considered it in depth.
Hagane Maemori, who had lost an arm, frowned slightly. There were too many Kekkei Genkai users in the major shinobi villages, at least at the pseudo-Kage level, while the Hagane Clan had gradually declined. The strongest among them, he, was only at the Elite Jōnin level.
He had brought his clansmen to Takigakure for low-key development, hoping to rise in the future. This time, his attack on Amemiya Ruri was also instigated by Kubisaki Ichiro, who felt that controlling more of Takigakure's resources would benefit the clan.
How could he have thought that the title of Takikage would attract the hostility of the Five Great Nations? Now, low-key development would be difficult, unless the Land of Waterfall apologized and abolished the title.
This was all very difficult. Neither that Daimyo nor this new Takikage seemed to be people who would passively accept things.
"Why not discuss with the Daimyo to cancel the title of Takikage? Of course, you would still be the leader of Takigakure."
Kubisaki Ichiro stroked his beard. As expected of an old man who had been through so much during the Warring States Period, he came up with a self-serving but harmful plan so quickly.
Although everyone recognized Amemiya Ruri's strength and wanted him to continue as leader, a mere village leader could not achieve the absolute control over a village that a Kage had. If Amemiya Ruri did not agree to this plan, he would face pressure from the Five Great Nations.
Although Amemiya Ruri was strong, Kubisaki Ichiro did not think he could remain calm under the pressure of the Five Great Nations. Once Amemiya Ruri suffered, they would share the benefits.
After hearing Kubisaki Ichiro's words, many people nodded slightly. Hagane Maemori also thought this was a good idea.
No matter what, Amemiya Ruri would be at the forefront, and the Hagane Clan, as the only Kekkei Genkai clan in Takigakure, would have much less pressure.
Amemiya Ruri did not reply. He was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity he had prepared beforehand to deal with similar situations.
A period of silence made the people below a little nervous. Just now, Amemiya Ruri had maimed the two strongest people in the village without a word.
Now they were forcing him to give up the title of Takikage and face the pressure of the Five Great Nations alone. It was not guaranteed that he would not strike again without warning.
"Lord Takikage." Just then, a burly young man wearing a mask pushed open the door.
[Name: Kakuzu]
[Overall Strength: Elite Jōnin]
[Talent: Pseudo-Kage]
[Chakra Nature Affinities: Earth, Water]
[Special Abilities: None]
[Evaluation: A formidable talent, possessing a very high level of ninjutsu and creativity, proficient in mastering the nature transformation of Earth and Water. If he encounters a fortuitous opportunity, he can become a Kage-level expert.]
Kakuzu was not as old as in the original story; he had not yet experienced the passage of time, but his love for money had not changed. This time, Amemiya Ruri had promised him a large amount of remuneration to persuade him to go on a mission.
"Isn't that Kakuzu?"
"Kakuzu? The ninjutsu demon?"
"Yes, I heard his ninjutsu strength is not inferior to Amemiya Ruri... the Takikage. He is considered the second strongest person in the Land of Waterfall."
"It seems he cannot be underestimated either."
Kubisaki Ichiro and Hagane Maemori showed a trace of unease at Kakuzu's arrival. Amemiya Ruri was stronger, but Kakuzu's name was more renowned in the shinobi world.
As fellow shinobi of the Land of Waterfall, others might not know, but their clans had their own intelligence networks and knew the relationship between these two very well.
Kakuzu and Amemiya Ruri were very close. Amemiya Ruri was involved in many of Kakuzu's ninjutsu developments. Kakuzu's name was more renowned in the shinobi world than Amemiya Ruri's, but he never complained that Amemiya Ruri was hailed as the number one person in the Land of Waterfall. This was proof of their relationship.
Kubisaki Ichiro had chosen to make his move today precisely because he heard Kakuzu had left the village. Otherwise, he would have remained dormant for a while longer. He had thought that their relationship had become somewhat distant due to Amemiya Ruri becoming Takikage, but it turned out not to be the case.
Kakuzu's departure was naturally part of Amemiya Ruri's plan; he had long anticipated that such a thing might happen in the village.
As for Kakuzu, his strength was obvious to all. Not to mention his abnormal immortal body ability in the future, even without his forbidden technique now, his ninjutsu level was rare.
The two had known each other for many years, and Kakuzu had contributed a lot to helping the Daimyo ascend to power. Amemiya Ruri's previous plan was for Kakuzu to inquire about the Five Kage Summit. According to intelligence, the summit would be held in the next few days, and his timing for becoming Takikage was just right.
Amemiya Ruri remembered very clearly that the first Five Kage Summit was, to put it bluntly, a spoils-sharing conference, led by Konoha to distribute Tailed Beasts to the major shinobi villages in order to achieve peace in the shinobi world. Although this method of peace was a joke, there were still benefits to be gained.
For example, the Seven-Tails.
Amemiya Ruri didn't know if Takigakure's Seven-Tails was given by Hashirama, but this was an opportunity to build good relations with the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even if he couldn't get the Seven-Tails, he could use this summit to strengthen ties with the leaders of each village.
He only had the strength of an Elite Jōnin, but the intelligence and ninjutsu he controlled could bring enough benefits to anyone.
Of course, even without the system, Amemiya Ruri had confidence in his self-preservation. He was not a fool to rush straight to the Five Kage Summit without any backup plan.
Even if he presented something that would tempt the Five Kage, he might not be able to keep his life. The Yamanaka Clan, who could read brain memories even after death, lived in Konoha.
"Lord Takikage, the Five Kage Summit will be held in the Land of Iron three days from now." Kakuzu ignored everyone else and walked directly in front of Amemiya Ruri, kneeling on one knee. His message was short, but it was enough.
Of course, he certainly didn't just inquire about this little bit. As for what was left unsaid, he naturally wouldn't say it in public like this.
"The Five Kage Summit?" A gleam flashed in Kubisaki Ichiro's eyes, and he immediately had a plan. As soon as Kakuzu returned, he knew it would be impossible to make Amemiya Ruri compromise today, but the news he brought seemed to be beneficial to them.
"Lord Takikage, the Five Kage Summit would be too disrespectful to you. You are also a Kage, how can you be excluded? As Takikage, you must go and participate!"
Kubisaki Ichiro used words to pressure Amemiya Ruri to go to the summit, feigning an indignant expression. If people didn't know the inside story, they would think he was a die-hard supporter eagerly hoping his leader could prove himself.