Land of Waterfall, Daimyo's Residence.
"What? No word from Takigakure?" Kakuzu said, looking incredulously at the woman seated at the head of the room.
"It must be those people causing trouble after we left. What else could it be?" Ruri responded. This didn't require much thought. If there was trouble in the village, it could only be the work of people like Kubisaki Ichiro.
"Indeed. The men I sent out have not returned. That is likely the case."
"Should we head back immediately?" Kakuzu asked urgently. Sitting before this woman made him feel immense pressure.
The alluring woman was none other than the Daimyo of the Land of Waterfall, Linglong, the only female Daimyo in all the nations.
"So the man hailed as the 'Ghost of Waterfall Ninjutsu,' Lord Kakuzu, is actually this timid?" Linglong teased. Her relationship with Kakuzu and Ruri was far from ordinary; after all, she had only become Daimyo with their full support.
"Alright, stop picking on Kakuzu. So his jutsu went a little wrong back then. I was hoping to catch up, but it's a pity this happened. We'll return after we've handled the situation in Takigakure." Ruri clapped his hands and stood up.
"Return? Big Brother, can I be responsible for village defense? Just in case something like this happens again when you're away..." Kakuzu's expression changed as he spoke.
"...Why are you so terrified of her?" Ruri was utterly baffled. Linglong was clearly easy to get along with and wholly dedicated to the Land of Waterfall's development. You could hear the residents praising her on the streets every day.
"Very confident, I see. It seems you've grown stronger again. A powerful man..." Linglong said, licking her lips, which made Ruri involuntarily look away. "Oh, by the way, a young girl claimed to have escaped from Takigakure to deliver a message, but I've never seen her before."
"You've never seen her? That is suspicious." Ruri and Kakuzu left the room. He knew Linglong's abilities well. Apart from the shinobi, all of Takigakure's residents were immigrants from various parts of the Land of Waterfall, a process Linglong had personally overseen, and she had memorized the faces of every single villager, including the children.
"I'll go see this child. The matter in Takigakure will be resolved quickly."
Following Linglong's directions, Ruri and Kakuzu went to an inn after leaving the Daimyo's residence.
"Who is it?"
The inn room had a sliding door with no lock. The moment Ruri slid it open, he heard a crisp, young girl's voice. She sounded quite young.
"The Takikage," Ruri said, frowning as he entered. Something is definitely wrong. He had deliberately muffled his footsteps and opened the door lightly, yet a child had still detected him.
"Is... is it really Lord Takikage?!" The girl's voice sounded excited. Soon, she appeared before Ruri.
The girl wore an expression of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster, and Ruri couldn't detect any falsehood in it.
"Big Brother..." Kakuzu whispered beside Ruri. Though he couldn't pinpoint why, he felt this girl was unusual.
"I... I've finally found you..." As she spoke, the girl began to cry, as if she had suffered some great sorrow.
"Hold the tears for now. Tell me about the village's situation." Despite his suspicions, Ruri took some tissues from the table and handed them to her.
After wiping her nose and tears, the girl composed herself and began, "On the very night you left, a coup started in the village. It seems to be led by the Hagane Clan. They were dissatisfied that you maimed their clan head, and to seize power, they joined forces with the Fūma Clan from another village to launch a rebellion..."
Coup? Seize power? Would a little girl use such vocabulary? And how would she know that I maimed Hagane Maemori's hand?
It had only been a few days. If the reason for the coup was known even to an ordinary child, their level of secrecy was hardly fit for a successful plot!
"What is your name?" Ruri asked quietly.
"I..." The girl seemed slightly frightened. "My name is... Tsuchimura Chie."
Tsuchimura? There were no shinobi in the village with the surname Tsuchimura. If her name was truly Tsuchimura Chie and she was just an ordinary civilian, it would be impossible for her to be privy to such matters.
Although Ruri couldn't memorize the names of all Takigakure's residents like Linglong, he could remember the names of the relatively few shinobi.
Everything Chie said had to be questioned. The only certainty was that a coup had indeed occurred in the village. Ruri doubted the Hagane Clan was the main instigator. As the only Kekkei Genkai clan in Takigakure, they wouldn't lose their status no matter who was in power, so there was no need for them to take such a huge risk.
Instead, the Kubisaki Clan, whom Chie hadn't mentioned, was more suspect. During the previous meeting, Kubisaki Ichiro had been the first to challenge him and had been made an example of when Ruri crippled his leg. It was normal for him to bear a grudge and collude with an external clan.
[Name: Tsuchigumo Chie]
[Overall Strength: Genin]
[Talent: Elite Jōnin]
[Chakra Nature Affinities: Wind, Fire, Lightning]
[Special Abilities: None]
[Evaluation: The young lady of the Tsuchigumo Clan. Possesses stunning talent with three chakra natures but is not valued by her clan.]
Well, now. Chie was definitely lying. And the clan invading Takigakure wasn't the Fūma Clan; it seemed to be the Tsuchigumo Clan!
Ruri didn't expose Chie's lies on the spot. Instead, he comforted her and, together with Kakuzu, took her back to stay at the inn. She might be useful later.
At the inn, Masashige had also finished washing up and was wearing the new mask Ruri had bought him. He believed he wouldn't have to wear it forever; his teacher would surely find a way to solve the toxin issue, allowing him to breathe like a normal person.
Masashige was only slightly surprised by Chie's appearance. Mature for his age, he didn't ask questions. Instead, because of his internal toxin, he tried to keep his distance from the girl. Ruri and Kakuzu were powerful shinobi, but this ordinary little girl certainly couldn't resist his poison.
Soon, Ruri and Kakuzu returned to Takigakure with the two children in tow. Apart from the missing guards at the gate, the village seemed largely unchanged.
"Lord Takikage has returned!"
Just as Ruri was heading towards the administration building, Kubisaki Ichiro came to meet him, followed by two clansmen of Chūnin level.
"Where are the gate guards?" Ruri asked, frowning. The further he went, the stronger a thick smell of blood became. There wasn't a single villager on the streets, and the entire village felt desolate.
"It's like this," Kubisaki Ichiro began. "While you were away, Hagane Maemori, in league with the Fūma Clan, launched a rebellion. We were caught off guard, and many people died. Fortunately, under my leadership, everyone resisted desperately. We've now imprisoned the lot."
Kubisaki Ichiro wore a self-satisfied expression, as if boasting about some great achievement. Had Ruri not used the system to see Chie's true identity, he might have fallen for it.
"And the villagers?" Ruri ignored Kubisaki Ichiro's nonsense, asking anxiously.
"Some died during the fighting. I've placed the rest under a confinement order, forbidding them from leaving their homes until your return. Anyone who came out was executed as a rebel."
Kubisaki Ichiro's casual tone nearly made Ruri lose his temper. Was he treating the villagers like livestock?
Even during the Warring States Period, shinobi didn't target civilians! If Ruri had returned a few days later, these confined villagers would likely have starved or died of thirst!
Forcing down his anger, Ruri knew the priority was to rescue the Hagane Clan. "Take me to see these imprisoned rebels."
"Yes, Lord Takikage."
Let's see how much longer you can strut about. Takikage? Go be the Takikage in hell!
Kubisaki Ichiro respectfully walked ahead to lead the way, inwardly gloating. He felt the day he became the leader of Takigakure was not far off.
It was a pity the news of Ruri's battle with Hashirama had traveled too slowly. If Kubisaki Ichiro had known, he wouldn't have dared to launch this coup even with ten times the courage. Truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness!