Though Chōjūrō served as Mei Terumi's confidant, within Kirigakure's hierarchy, Mei wasn't his only superior. Elder Genji likewise possessed authority to direct him.
"Yes, Lady Mei asked me to inquire whether you have any additional requirements," Chōjūrō replied promptly.
"As it happens, I need a guide familiar with Kirigakure," Richard stated casually. "Since you're already here, you can fulfill that role."
Though no Kirigakure shinobi posed genuine threat to him, Richard preferred avoiding confrontations during his meal. Interruptions while dining would significantly diminish his enjoyment.
Hearing Richard's request, Chōjūrō's brow furrowed immediately.
Though he had claimed Mei sent him to ascertain Richard's needs, in truth, she had assigned him an entirely different purpose: surveillance.
Regarding Ao's conspicuous absence despite his Byakugan's advantages, the rationale proved straightforward—Chōjūrō projected a considerably less threatening demeanor.
After several seconds of silence, Chōjūrō relented: "Where would you like to go?"
"Let's locate suitable dining first," Richard responded unhurriedly. "I'm particularly interested in Kirigakure's local cuisine."
"Very well," Chōjūrō agreed quickly.
With that, Chōjūrō turned and walked toward the apartment's exit.
Richard followed silently, maintaining his composed expression.
Upon reaching the street, Richard immediately attracted numerous gazes. Pedestrians reflexively observed him—partly due to his lack of a Kirigakure forehead protector, but primarily because his appearance commanded attention.
Setting aside his clothing and general features, his meter-long silver-white hair alone ensured extraordinary visibility.
Richard disregarded the surrounding scrutiny, following Chōjūrō with casual indifference.
With Chōjūrō serving as escort, other Kirigakure shinobi refrained from confronting Richard or questioning his presence.
Though unfamiliar with Richard, they recognized Chōjūrō instantly.
Beyond serving as Mei Terumi's trusted subordinate, Chōjūrō had established himself as Kirigakure's renowned prodigy.
Moreover, he belonged to the third generation of Kirigakure's "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" as the wielder of Hiramekarei, the Twin Blade.
Throughout Kirigakure's history, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen represented the village's elite combat specialists.
Though no complete assembly of all seven swordsmen had occurred since the original generation, membership remained highly selective.
Beyond stringent combat requirements, the current absence of several signature blades from Kirigakure further limited appointments.
After following Chōjūrō for approximately thirty minutes, Richard found himself before a barbecue restaurant.
Though the Land of Water comprised an island nation, its natural environment paralleled the Land of Fire in many respects.
Disregarding transportation limitations and restricted landmass, Kirigakure's environmental conditions and living standards surpassed those of Sunagakure and Kumogakure.
Upon entering the barbecue establishment, Chōjūrō and Richard occupied an empty table facing the street.
Once seated, Richard addressed the waiter without hesitation: "Bring me a portion of everything on the menu except alcoholic beverages—only juices for drinks."
What?
This declaration stunned not only the waiter but visibly surprised Chōjūrō as well.
Noting their reactions, Richard continued: "Is there some problem?"
"No, I'll place your order immediately," the waiter responded promptly.
With that, the waiter collected the menu and departed.
After the waiter's exit, Chōjūrō frowned and commented, "I didn't bring sufficient funds."
"You needn't concern yourself with payment," Richard replied with a slight smile. "I'll handle the bill."
Though lacking currency, this presented no genuine obstacle for Richard.
Within the Naruto world, gold maintained its status as universally recognized precious metal.
Richard's system space contained substantial gold reserves—specifically, more than ten tons.
He had discovered this gold within Wakanda's palace vaults.
Despite his system space's vast storage capacity, Richard hadn't collected all available gold. Following Silver City's construction, he had transferred significant portions to his private palace repository.
Hearing Richard's assurance, Chōjūrō offered no further objections.
Shortly thereafter, the waiter began delivering Richard's extensive order.
Given Richard's comprehensive ordering approach, dishes not only filled their table completely but occupied part of the adjacent aisle.
As the waiter completed service, Richard gestured to Chōjūrō: "Please, help yourself."
With that, Richard disregarded Chōjūrō, selecting a stack of pork belly and placing it on the grill before him.
Observing Richard's actions, Chōjūrō hesitated briefly before selecting his own portion of beef and beginning the grilling process.
For approximately ten minutes, neither spoke, each focusing exclusively on preparing and consuming their respective selections.
Time advanced incrementally.
After less than thirty minutes, Chōjūrō ceased eating.
"Are you full?" Richard inquired.
"Yes," Chōjūrō nodded.
"If you have no other job, feel free to depart," Richard continued. "I can return to the apartment myself after finishing."
Though Chōjūrō hadn't verbalized his assignment, Richard easily deduced Mei Terumi's motivation for dispatching him.
"I have no pressing matters," Chōjūrō responded quickly.
"As you wish," Richard replied.
Following this exchange, Richard disregarded Chōjūrō, concentrating fully on the barbecue before him.
Though the restaurant's décor lacked luxury, the quality of its offerings proved impressive.
If any deficiency existed, the grills appeared somewhat undersized for Richard's extensive order.
For typical patrons, however, this wouldn't constitute an issue—normal customers seldom ordered with Richard's comprehensiveness.
Time continued its advance.
After more than an hour, having consumed everything ordered, Richard extracted a gold coin bearing Wakandan characters and patterns from his system space.
Though the gold originated from Wakandan royal reserves, Richard hadn't reforged it.
Upon producing the coin, Richard applied pressure, crushing it into irregular gold fragments, completely obscuring the Wakandan markings.
Having accomplished this, he summoned the waiter and presented the gold fragments.
"Will this suffice as payment?" Richard inquired.
Examining the offered gold, the waiter hesitated momentarily.
"I'll need to consult the proprietor," he finally stated.
"By all means," Richard replied, tossing the gold fragments to the waiter.
After catching Richard's payment, the waiter hastily departed.
Approximately two minutes later, he returned, extending a stack of banknotes toward Richard. "This represents your change after settling the account."
"Keep it," Richard declined the proffered currency. "Consider it your tips."
With that, Richard stood and walked toward the restaurant's exit.
Without hesitation, Chōjūrō quickly rose and followed Richard.
Soon both had departed, vanishing from the waiter's sight.
During their return journey to the apartment, Richard abruptly halted, turning toward Chōjūrō. "I understand you're considered Kirigakure's prodigy and the current wielder of the Twin Blade."
"I happened to acquire a trophy today. Perhaps we should find an appropriate location to discuss it."
Trophy?
Chōjūrō regarded Richard with evident confusion.
Under Chōjūrō's scrutiny, Richard retrieved Kubikiribōchō—the Executioner's Blade—from his system space.
What?
Upon recognizing the distinctive sword, Chōjūrō's expression immediately registered shock.
Not only Chōjūrō but surrounding shinobi similarly displayed astonishment at the legendary blade in Richard's possession.
Any Kirigakure shinobi would immediately recognize the Seven Ninja Swords.
Whether Chōjūrō's Hiramekarei (Twin Blade), the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade) in Richard's hands, or the remaining blades—Samehada (Shark Skin), Nuibari (Sewing Needle), Kabutowari (Helmet Splitter), Shibuki (Splash), and Kiba (Fangs)—all Kirigakure shinobi intimately recognized these legendary weapons.
"Have you encountered Zabuza Momochi today?" Chōjūrō asked rapidly.
"Indeed," Richard confirmed casually. "Not only did I meet him, but we engaged in combat."
"I proposed he become my subordinate, but regrettably, he declined."
Though Richard's tone remained conversational, his statement carried profound implications for Chōjūrō.
When Zabuza had attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, Chōjūrō hadn't yet received Hiramekarei.
At that time, the Twin Blade had been wielded by Mangetsu Hōzuki, the "Demon of the Hidden Mist."
For Chōjūrō, as a third-generation Seven Ninja Swordsman, Zabuza represented a respected predecessor.
Though they had never directly confronted each other, Chōjūrō harbored no illusions regarding Zabuza's capabilities.
Before becoming a Kirigakure missing-nin, Zabuza had established himself as an elite jōnin within the village.
"Is he dead?" Chōjūrō inquired urgently.
"No, I spared his life," Richard clarified. "I merely 'borrowed' the Executioner's Blade."
Though Zabuza had rejected subordination, Richard maintained a reasonably positive impression of him and harbored no lethal intentions.
Following Richard's explanation, Chōjūrō fell silent momentarily.
After several seconds, he proposed: "Follow me. I know a suitable location for combat nearby."
"Excellent," Richard replied.
Under Richard's observation, Chōjūrō channeled chakra throughout his body, leaping directly from the street to an adjacent rooftop—initiating the unconventional travel method characteristic of shinobi.
Though Richard now possessed chakra, he elected not to emulate Chōjūrō's roof-hopping approach, instead activating his flight ability.
After several minutes traversing rooftops, Chōjūrō led Richard to a park.
Given the late hour, few civilians populated the area.
More importantly, the park contained a substantial lake.
Upon reaching the lakeside, Chōjūrō removed the bandaged Twin Blade from his back.
Compared to the Executioner's Blade, Hiramekarei presented a distinctly unusual appearance, with its initial form significantly more compact than Kubikiribōchō.
In other universes, wielding such an unconventional weapon would likely earn the achievement "The stranger the weapon, the swifter your demise."
Within the Naruto world, however, different principles applied.
Despite Hiramekarei's bizarre appearance, its capabilities proved far from simplistic.
The Executioner's Blade possessed the ability to absorb iron from opponents' blood for self-regeneration while restoring its wielder's stamina.
Hiramekarei's ability involved chakra accumulation proportional to enemies defeated, allowing its user to fight with escalating effectiveness.
Additionally, Hiramekarei featured a special technique called "Hiramekarei Unleashing."
After absorbing the wielder's chakra, Hiramekarei could condense this energy into a powerful chakra construct for offensive deployment.
With sufficient chakra input, Hiramekarei's physical dimensions would expand correspondingly.
During the Five Kage Summit, Chōjūrō had successfully employed Hiramekarei Unleashing to repel Sasuke despite the latter's activation of initial Susanoo.
After removing Hiramekarei, Chōjūrō immediately channeled chakra throughout his system.
The bandages encompassing Hiramekarei rapidly unwound, revealing the blade's true form.
Simultaneously, Hiramekarei began radiating a blue-white chakra aura.
Observing Chōjūrō's combat preparation, Richard casually brandished the Executioner's Blade, executing a few perfunctory swings.
Though Kubikiribōchō significantly exceeded Masamune in width, it fell short of the latter's impressive length.
"Proceed," Richard beckoned to Chōjūrō. "Demonstrate your capabilities."
Richard had no intention of initiating offense, preferring a defensive posture to evaluate Chōjūrō's skills.
Had Richard attacked first, even with deliberate restraint, Chōjūrō's resistance would have proven exceedingly brief.
Though uncertain of Richard's objectives, Chōjūrō didn't hesitate upon seeing Richard's gesture. He immediately charged forward, Hiramekarei positioned for attack.
Within moments, Chōjūrō closed the distance to Richard.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Chōjūrō delivered a continuous barrage with Hiramekarei, striking at Richard from multiple angles.
Despite the ferocious assault, Richard remained entirely unperturbed.
More precisely, Chōjūrō couldn't even force Richard to shift position.
Regardless of Hiramekarei's angle or momentum, Richard maintained perfect stillness, effortlessly intercepting each strike with Kubikiribōchō while maintaining an expression of casual indifference.
"If this represents your maximum potential," Richard commented to Chōjūrō, "I must express disappointment."
For average shinobi, Chōjūrō's swordsmanship would certainly impress.
From Richard's perspective, however, Chōjūrō's technique barely approached minimal competence.
Hearing Richard's assessment, Chōjūrō retreated five to six meters.
Then, he initiated Hiramekarei's signature technique: Hiramekarei Unleashing.
Under Richard's observation, the Twin Blade—radiating intense blue-white energy—condensed a chakra sphere approximately one meter in diameter.
Once the chakra construct stabilized, Chōjūrō executed a powerful swing without hesitation.
Following Hiramekarei's arc, the chakra sphere launched toward Richard with tremendous velocity.
Watching the approaching chakra projectile, Richard channeled his own chakra, directing it along Kubikiribōchō's blade.
As Chōjūrō's attack entered the Executioner's Blade's effective range, Richard executed a casual upward swing.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion immediately resounded!
Kubikiribōchō connected precisely with the oncoming chakra sphere, instantly neutralizing the attack.
How is this possible?
Witnessing Richard effortlessly shatter his chakra construct with the Executioner's Blade, Chōjūrō's expression transformed to one of utter disbelief.