"Amamiya… Ruri?"
Hashirama scratched his head, showing no sign of recognition.
"Amamiya Ruri? Isn't he known as the strongest ninja in the Land of Taki?"
The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, stroked his beard thoughtfully. Since the Land of Taki bordered the Land of Earth, he had heard of Ruri before—though the man was known to be rather low-key.
"Tch… The Land of Taki? A Taki Kage? It's just a small nation."
The Mizukage, Byakuren, remained dismissive. Although he acknowledged that Ruri might possess the strength to stand on equal footing with them, the Land of Taki's national power couldn't compare to the Five Great Nations.
Unless Ruri could truly demonstrate power equal to or surpassing their own, the idea of establishing a Kage title for the Land of Taki seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream.
"The Land of Taki, huh? That's actually a decent country."
The First Kazekage, Retto, said with a smile. Among the five Kage, he was the only one besides Hashirama who did not show hostility toward Ruri.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Taki were far apart, with no history of conflict between them. What no one else knew, however, was that Retto and Ruri were already acquainted.
Two years earlier, during the founding of Sunagakure, Retto had struggled to develop the village due to the barren, sandy environment of the Land of Wind. To help Suna prosper, Retto had negotiated with other nations, including the Land of Taki.
At that time, Taki hadn't yet formed a shinobi village, though there were plans in motion. Suna, being the weakest of the Five Great Villages, desperately needed all the support it could get. After a discussion between Taki's daimyo and Ruri, the Land of Taki had gifted Sunagakure some diluted Hero Water.
The diluted Hero Water lacked the chakra-boosting effects of the original, but it could alter the environment and generate water sources—something Retto used to solve Suna's water crisis.
This transaction earned Taki the support of Sunagakure.
Looking at Ruri now, Retto couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Back then, Ruri's strength had been far from Kage-level. Who would have thought that in just a few years, he would grow strong enough to block the Mizukage's surprise attack with ease?
Retto also found himself impressed by the courage of the Land of Taki's daimyo, who dared to challenge the Five Great Nations by appointing a Taki Kage. Still, since Suna had no conflict of interest with Taki—and because further cooperation might yield more Hero Water—Retto saw no downside in maintaining friendly relations.
"How much longer are we going to stand here? I don't feel like being treated like a circus act by these samurai," said the Raikage, A, breaking the silence.
He had been closely observing Ruri, trying to spot any flaws. But seeing none, combined with the growing crowd of curious samurai, his patience was wearing thin.
"Right, right! We've got serious matters to discuss," Hashirama said, slapping his forehead. Though he addressed Ruri by name, he deliberately avoided recognizing his title of Taki Kage.
Acknowledging Ruri as Taki Kage would mean accepting the Land of Taki as an equal, and Hashirama wasn't ready to do that just yet. Politically savvy, Hashirama knew better than to provoke a small but determined nation unnecessarily, as it would contradict his vision of a peaceful shinobi world.
Though Ruri's earlier display of strength had stunned the other Kage, it seemed to have little effect on Hashirama. As expected, the God of Shinobi wasn't so easily impressed.
Without missing a beat, Ruri formed a series of hand signs at lightning speed, pressing his hands to the ground. Even though Hashirama's sharp eyes could keep up, when he saw the seals Ruri was making, he froze in disbelief.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
A wooden house sprouted from the ground, fully formed in an instant. The area they were in was open and spacious, so the new structure didn't obstruct foot traffic. At most, Iron Country's samurai might classify it as an illegal construction—but by the time they issued a complaint, the meeting would be over.
"Isn't this… big brother's Wood Release?"
Tobirama, who had been standing silently behind Hashirama, now stared at Ruri with a look of disbelief. This was a Wood Release jutsu that only Hashirama could perform—how was it now appearing in the hands of someone else?
Even Tobirama, with all his genius, had never managed to learn Wood Release. And wasn't it supposed to be the Senju clan's exclusive Kekkei Genkai?
The other Kage turned their gaze toward Hashirama, their eyes silently asking: Who exactly is this guy?
They knew all too well the power of Hashirama's Wood Release—it was the reason they respected and feared him, leading to the very creation of the Five Kage Summit. To them, Wood Release was synonymous with Hashirama himself.
Even Retto, who had previously been friendly toward Ruri, now looked doubtful. Could Ruri's appearance have been orchestrated by Hashirama? How else could someone outside the Senju clan wield Wood Release?
Were they long-lost relatives? But they didn't even look alike!
Hashirama scratched his head with an awkward smile. He had no explanation for what he just saw.
He had always believed his Wood Release was a unique bloodline trait. Yet here it was, recreated by someone completely unrelated to the Senju.
Until now, no one else in the clan—Tobirama included—had managed to master Wood Release. There were no branch families within the Senju, and this was long before Orochimaru's genetic experiments and the proliferation of Hashirama cells.
The only logical conclusion was that Amamiya Ruri had somehow trained himself to master Wood Release, just like Hashirama had.
"So, are we not going to head inside? Isn't this supposed to be a Six Kage Summit?" Ruri asked with a polite smile, gesturing toward the newly-formed house.
Inwardly, though, he was exhausted. Unlike Hashirama, who had vast chakra reserves, Ruri didn't possess the Water and Earth chakra affinities needed to naturally perform Wood Release. He could only rely on the system's reward to cast the jutsu—and it consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
After blocking Byakuren's Water Dragon and casting the Four-Pillar House Technique, he was down to just 40% of his chakra.
"Right, let's head inside!" Hashirama said cheerfully, leading the way into the wooden house.
He had initially planned to create a meeting place himself using Wood Release, but Ruri had saved him the effort.
Still, Ruri's actions meant that the Land of Taki and Takigakure would have to be re-evaluated. With a leader capable of blocking the Mizukage's attacks and wielding Wood Release, Takigakure had the potential to rival the Five Great Villages.
The other Kage followed silently, their faces expressionless. None of them dared to think further. If Ruri's power surpassed their own, it would be a hard pill to swallow for those accustomed to being the strongest.
Ruri finally breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the Five Kage were willing to step into a house created by his Wood Release meant that his plan was half-successful. Whether they liked it or not, they would now have to recognize the title of Taki Kage.
As the guards followed their leaders inside, Kakuzu trailed behind, looking utterly bewildered.
Since when did my brother learn Wood Release? Kakuzu thought to himself. Then again, it didn't matter—if Ruri grew stronger, that just meant more powerful jutsu for Kakuzu to master.
With everything going in their favor, Kakuzu allowed himself a small grin. As the unofficial heir to the title of Second Taki Kage, things were looking pretty good.