In the Land of Taki, at the Daimyo's residence.
"What? Taki Hidden Village has gone completely silent?" Kakuzu looked at the woman seated above him, incredulous.
"It's definitely those people causing trouble after we left. What else could it be?" Ryuuri replied. It was clear; if something went wrong in the village, it could only be the Kagakujis and their followers.
"Yes, the people I sent out have yet to return. It must be them," she affirmed.
"Should we head back now?" Kakuzu urged, feeling pressured in front of the woman.
The enchanting woman was Linglong, the Daimyo of the Land of Taki, the only female Daimyo among the current nations.
"The great Kakuzu, known as the 'Demon of Taki's Ninjutsu,' turns out to be so timid," Linglong teased. Her relationship with Kakuzu and Ryuuri was far from ordinary; she had succeeded in becoming the Daimyo thanks to their full support.
"Alright, stop picking on Kakuzu. It was just a minor incident with ninjutsu back then. I had hoped to catch up, but I didn't expect something like this would happen. It's unfortunate. Once we deal with the issues in Taki Hidden Village, we can come back," Ryuuri said as he clapped his hands and stood up.
"Come back? Big Brother, can I be in charge of the village's defense? If something happens while you're away..." Kakuzu's expression changed.
"Why are you so afraid of her?" Ryuuri questioned, perplexed. Linglong was clearly easy to get along with, wholeheartedly dedicated to the development of the Land of Taki. Residents praised her every day in the streets.
"You're quite confident, it seems you've grown stronger, a powerful man indeed..." Linglong licked her lips, making Ryuuri turn his head away. "Oh, by the way, a little girl claimed to have escaped from Taki Hidden Village to bring news, but I have never seen her myself."
"You haven't seen her? That sounds suspicious," Ryuuri remarked, stepping out of the room with Kakuzu. He understood Linglong's abilities well. The residents of Taki Hidden Village, aside from the ninjas, were all immigrants from various parts of the Land of Taki. Linglong had personally managed this affair, keeping records of every villager, including the children.
"I'll go meet that girl. We should be able to resolve the situation in Taki Hidden Village soon," Ryuuri said.
After exiting the Daimyo's residence, Ryuuri and Kakuzu followed Linglong's directions to a nearby inn.
"Who is it?"
The inn room had sliding doors that weren't locked. As Ryuuri opened the door, he heard a crisp girl's voice, sounding quite young.
"Taki Shadow?" Ryuuri frowned as he approached. It felt off; he had deliberately suppressed his footsteps, opening the door quietly, yet a child still noticed him.
"Is... is it really you, Taki Shadow?!"
The girl's voice sounded excited, and soon she appeared before Ryuuri.
Her expression conveyed that she had survived some ordeal, but Ryuuri couldn't spot any flaws.
"Big Brother..." Kakuzu whispered beside Ryuuri. Although he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, he felt that this girl was unusual.
"I... I finally found you..."
As she spoke, the girl began to cry, as if she had encountered some tragic event.
"Don't cry just yet; tell me about the situation in the village," Ryuuri urged, handing her some tissues from the table.
The girl calmed herself, wiping her tears and sniffles before saying, "On the night you left, a coup broke out in the village. It seems the Kagakujis led it, dissatisfied with the clan leader having lost a hand to you. To seize power, they allied with the Kazekage clan and started a rebellion..."
A coup? Seizing power? Would a little girl really use such vocabulary? How did she know that Kagakujis' hand had been incapacitated by him?
It had only been a few days. If the cause of the coup was something an ordinary child knew, the level of secrecy was far from adequate for a successful operation!
"What's your name?" Ryuuri asked softly.
"I..." The little girl seemed startled. "My name is Tsuchikawa Chihiro."
Tsuchikawa? There were no ninjas with that surname in the village. If she truly was Tsuchikawa Chihiro, she would be an ordinary civilian, incapable of encountering such matters.
While Ryuuri couldn't remember every villager's name like Linglong, he could recall the few names of the ninjas.
Every word Chihiro said raised questions. The only certainty was that a coup had occurred in the village. Ryuuri doubted the Kagakujis would be the ones leading the rebellion. As the only bloodline clan in Taki Hidden Village, regardless of who was in power, they wouldn't lose their status. There was no need for such a risky coup.
On the contrary, the Shokuzaki clan, which Chihiro had not mentioned, was worth suspicion. During the previous meeting, Shokuzaki Ichirou had led the charge against him, and Ryuuri had broken one of his legs to establish dominance. It was normal for him to harbor resentment and conspire with outsiders.
[Name: Tsuchikawa Chihiro]
[Overall Strength: Genin]
[Talent: Elite Jounin]
[Attributes: Wind, Fire, Lightning]
[Special Ability: None]
[Evaluation: The daughter of the Tsuchikawa clan, possessing extraordinary talent with three types of chakra attributes, yet unappreciated by her family.]
Well then, Chihiro must be lying! Moreover, it wasn't the Kazekage clan invading Taki Hidden Village; it seemed to be the Tsuchikawa clan!
Ryuuri didn't expose Chihiro's lie on the spot. Instead, he comforted her and, along with Kakuzu, brought her back to the inn. Perhaps she would be useful later.
Inside the inn, Masanari had also finished cleaning up and was wearing the mask Ryuuri had bought him. He believed he wouldn't have to wear it forever; his teacher would surely find a way to resolve the poison in his body, allowing him to breathe like a normal person.
Masanari was only slightly surprised by Chihiro's appearance. Mature beyond his years, he didn't ask many questions, instead keeping his distance from the girl due to his own poison. Ryuuri and Kakuzu were powerful ninjas, but this ordinary girl couldn't possibly withstand his toxic fumes.
Before long, Ryuuri and Kakuzu took the two children back to Taki Hidden Village. Aside from the absence of guards at the entrance, the village appeared unchanged.
"Taki Shadow has returned!"
As Ryuuri approached the office building, Shokuzaki Ichirou greeted him, flanked by two Chunin level clan members.
"Where are the guards?" Ryuuri asked, frowning. The deeper he ventured, the stronger the smell of blood became, and the streets were devoid of any villagers, giving Taki Hidden Village an eerie desolation.
"While you were away, Kagakujis allied with the Kazekage clan to stage a rebellion. We let our guard down, and many people died. Fortunately, under my leadership, everyone fought bravely, and we have now imprisoned those rebels," Ichirou boasted, his pride evident.
Ryuuri couldn't help but feel furious at Ichirou's self-congratulatory attitude. Had he reduced the villagers to mere livestock?
Even in the Warring States period, ninjas wouldn't harm civilians. If Ryuuri had delayed returning by a few days, the villagers under house arrest might have died from lack of food and water!
Suppressing his anger, Ryuuri said, "The priority is to rescue the Kagakujis. Take me to see the imprisoned rebels."
"Yes, Taki Shadow," Ichirou responded.
How much longer can you keep up this facade? Taki Shadow? Go to hell with your Taki Shadow!
Ichirou walked ahead respectfully to lead Ryuuri, secretly feeling pleased with himself. He believed the day he became the leader of Taki Hidden Village was drawing near.
If only the news of Ryuuri's battle with Hashirama had spread faster. Otherwise, even if Ichirou had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to instigate a coup. Truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness!