"I see... So that's how it is..." Ruri murmured thoughtfully.
The Land of Craftsmen had always been a neutral nation, supplying vast quantities of ninja tools to shinobi. After the establishment of the major shinobi villages, they formed long-term, friendly trade relations. They even looked down upon small villages like Takigakure; the Taki-nin's tools were all acquired through middlemen...
But just one month ago, a major incident occurred in the Land of Craftsmen. A craftsman named Seimei, for some reason, obtained the Daimyo's permission to establish a Craftsmen's Hidden Village. While the artisan families within the country did not oppose the idea of a shinobi village, they strongly objected to this unknown craftsman, Seimei, becoming its leader.
Initially, amidst the opposition from various families, Seimei seemed inclined to give up. However, for some reason, a few days later, he not only insisted on becoming the leader of Craftsmen's Hidden Village but also demanded that all families hand over their hereditary ninja tools and forging techniques to him.
The families naturally protested vehemently. Yet, the very next day, the Hojo clan, the most vocal opponents, was annihilated. The Hojo clan leader's head was found in a forging furnace, his eyes wide open, dead but unable to rest in peace.
After this event, Seimei continued to demand tools from the other families. Unlike before, he now carried a sword on his back—the Hojo clan's hereditary treasure, the Onimaru Kunitsuna.
Some compromised, while others continued to resist. Those who resisted had to not only fight back but also guard against sudden, unpredictable slaughter. Three days ago, the Mike clan was annihilated, with no survivors. As the last resisting clan leader, Sanjō Munetatsu had no choice but to flee the Land of Craftsmen personally to seek external aid, hoping to eliminate Seimei and remove the threat once and for all.
In short, the situation in the Land of Craftsmen was complex. Ruri needed to consider whether to get involved and whether accepting this mission would be beneficial or detrimental.
Sanjō Munetatsu watched Ruri nervously. In truth, Takigakure was already the third village he had visited. He had already been to Konoha and Iwagakure, but both villages deemed the cost outweighing the potential gain and refused the request.
It was only while passing through the Land of Takī that he remembered Takigakure and the Takikage who had fought the Shinobi no Kami to a standstill. Such an emerging village had the strength but lacked prestige; perhaps they would accept his request.
"Tell me about the mission's reward. It's at least an SS-rank mission; I hope you can offer a corresponding price," Ruri said.
Over ten days ago, with the support of ample iron ore, Kōmae Tadashi had successfully forged the Refined Steel. However, his own forging skills were rather mediocre. He couldn't let such precious material be wasted by subpar craftsmanship, so he had informed Ruri about the Land of Craftsmen.
The forging skills of the Land of Craftsmen' artisans were unquestionable, especially those of the three great families: Hojo, Sanjō, and Mike. If they could learn their techniques, they could undoubtedly use the Refined Steel to forge blades rivaling the legendary named swords.
Therefore, Ruri had already planned to visit the Land of Craftsmen to acquire techniques and talent. Entrusting such matters to others was not something he felt comfortable with. So, if Sanjō Munetatsu could offer a suitable reward for eliminating Seimei, Ruri wouldn't mind taking action as a side task.
But the prerequisite was that it had to be profitable. Takigakure couldn't afford to make an enemy of the Land of Craftsmen for no reason. Ruri's goal was only to acquire techniques and talent; cooperating with either side was possible. And Seimei was, after all, the leader of Craftsmen's Hidden Village, acknowledged by the Land of Craftsmen' Daimyo.
"This blade will serve as the reward..." Sanjō Munetatsu took the long cloth-wrapped package from his back and handed it to Ruri. He had heard of Ruri's feat of cutting the waterfall with a single slash. Although he didn't quite believe it, he knew Ruri's swordsmanship must be exceptional. Thus, he felt that faced with this famous blade, Ruri might very well compromise.
Ruri unwrapped the cloth and drew the blade from its scabbard. Along the blade's pattern were arranged crescent-moon-shaped motifs. It was none other than the legendary named sword, the Mikazuki Munechika.
As one of the three great named swords, the Mikazuki Munechika certainly made Ruri salivate. He precisely lacked a sufficiently powerful katana as a weapon; his Iaido Slash sword intent was something an ordinary katana couldn't withstand.
If the Refined Steel hadn't been successfully forged, Ruri might have accepted the mission without a second thought. But now that the Refined Steel was a reality, as long as they possessed sufficiently exquisite sword-forging techniques, they could completely forge a new named sword. At worst, even if it took the Kōmae clan thirty or forty years of research, the result wouldn't be too shabby.
Watching Ruri remain silent, Munetatsu's heart sank. This was just like his previous meetings with the Hokage and Tsuchikage—the reward wasn't enough; they looked down on it. But he had no other choice; this was the greatest sincerity he could muster.
"If Lord Takikage accepts the request, not only will the Mikazuki Munechika be the reward, but the Hojo clan's hereditary treasure, the Onimaru Kunitsuna, and the Mike clan's hereditary treasure, the Ōtenta Mitsuyo, will also belong to you..." Munetatsu swallowed hard, his heart filled with anxiety. The Onimaru Kunitsuna and Ōtenta Mitsuyo weren't his to give; whoever killed Seimei would claim those two blades as spoils of war, unrelated to him. But he was truly desperate.
The Mikazuki Munechika, Ōtenta Mitsuyo, and Onimaru Kunitsuna were known as the Three Great Hereditary Swords. The demon blade Muramasa, due to its extreme peculiarity, was not included in this list but was not inferior to the three great swords. These four blades were second only to the Kusanagi sword, revered as a divine artifact. The prospect of obtaining three of these four blades at once was indeed very tempting for Ruri.
Although these named swords might not be as functionally versatile as the later Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure, as famous blades passed down since the era of samurai, they were certainly not to be trifled with. With sufficient swordsmanship mastery, wielding any one of them could elevate one's combat power by an entire level!
Ruri pondered the pros and cons, and Munetatsu dared not interrupt, quietly awaiting the answer.
"I accept. I will personally carry out this mission. The three blades will be the reward. However, I have three additional conditions," Ruri finally spoke.
Although he had agreed, his words gave Munetatsu a fright. Three conditions? He was already penniless and had nothing left to offer as payment!
"Please state them, Lord Takikage."
Despite this, Munetatsu steeled himself and replied. If this Takikage, who had faced the Shinobi no Kami head-on, personally took action, there was a very high chance Seimei could be eliminated. This was his last hope.
"First, the Mikazuki Munechika, as the reward, must be given to me in advance. Regardless of the mission's success or failure, it belongs to Takigakure. Second, you must not disclose to anyone that you commissioned Takigakure to assassinate Seimei, let alone that I am personally carrying out the mission. Third, after the mission is completed, the entire Sanjō clan must relocate to Takigakure. Of course, publicly, it will be announced that you came to seek refuge in Takigakure, and Takigakure will treat you equally."
Ruri's conditions were clear. First, it would enhance his combat power and increase the mission's success probability. Second, it would conceal information and strive to maintain relations between the Land of Takī and the Land of Craftsmen. Third, the addition of the Sanjō clan would greatly strengthen Takigakure's foundation. They wouldn't even need to acquire forging techniques separately; they could just give the Refined Steel directly to the Sanjō clan.
As for him personally taking the mission causing some trouble... there was simply no one else in the village capable of completing an SS-rank mission. It would also be good training for his assistants to handle affairs. If a Shinobi World War broke out in the future, there would inevitably be times when he wasn't in the village.
"This..." Now it was Munetatsu's turn to hesitate. The first and second conditions were manageable, but the third one gave him pause. Besides being renowned for forging, the Sanjō clan was also a samurai family, deeply attached to every blade of grass and tree in the Land of Craftsmen. The spirit of Bushido meant difficulty leaving one's homeland; even facing potential death, they wouldn't easily abandon their home. Even if he were willing, persuading his clansmen would be a difficult task.