The Takigage looked at the God King, his heart overflowing with gratitude.
"Lord God King, you have saved the Hidden Waterfall Village. If not for you, our village would have been wiped from the face of the shinobi world. I would have had no face to meet my ancestors."
"I truly do not know how to express my gratitude to you."
The kindness shown to the Hidden Waterfall Village was something he could never fully repay.
That man, Kakuzu, had actually brought others to attack them. With the village's current strength, even if they mobilized every single ninja, they would have been no match.
Given Kakuzu's cruelty, he likely wouldn't have hesitated to slaughter everyone in the village.
The mere thought of such a tragedy filled him with dread, but fortunately, the God King had arrived in time.
Hearing the Takigage's words, a thought occurred to Ryōsuke. He pointed a finger toward Fū.
"Then give Fū to me. Consider it repayment for the debt the Hidden Waterfall Village owes."
Since he had encountered the Akatsuki, he naturally wasn't going to let them run amok here.
If they wanted to show gratitude, they would hand Fū over willingly, saving him the trouble of taking her by force.
Fū froze, her expression one of pure shock.
'Does the God King want me for himself?'
'Becoming his property... that actually seems like a pretty good deal.'
The God King was so powerful, and he could even resolve the issues she had with the Tailed Beast inside her.
Staying by his side would definitely be better than staying in the village.
Her peers and even the adults in the village weren't exactly friendly toward her.
This sparked a glimmer of hope within her, and she prayed the Takigage would agree.
The Takigage was also stunned by the request.
While he truly did want to repay the favor, using a Jinchūriki as a token of gratitude was not what he had in mind.
For the Hidden Waterfall Village, the Tailed Beast was of paramount importance.
Especially in its current state.
After Kakuzu and his two companions had killed so many of their ninja, the village's strength had been severely depleted.
If they lost the military power of the Tailed Beast now, the village would truly have no trump cards left.
But he had already given his word, and the man had named his price.
This put him in an incredibly awkward position.
Without the God King's help, the village would have been destroyed anyway, and Kakuzu would have taken the Jinchūriki regardless.
He wrestled with the decision, torn over whether to hand her over.
The two ninja accompanying him were his trusted confidants. Their faces fell when they heard the request; they were completely unwilling to agree.
Fearing the Takigage might actually give in, one of them spoke up.
"Please, name another condition. Fū is our village's Jinchūriki; she cannot simply be given away. We apologize."
He tried to be as respectful as possible, careful not to provoke someone so powerful.
Ryōsuke simply stared at the man.
'This kid really doesn't know his place.'
It didn't matter, though. If they didn't want to give her up, he would just take her.
These people didn't have the strength to resist him anyway.
In the past, the Hidden Waterfall Village was influential enough to attend the Five Kage Summit and secure the powerful Seven-Tails. But now, they were helpless against just three enemies. After losing so many people, they didn't exactly have the luxury of choice.
Hearing the ninja's words, Fū felt a pang of disappointment. She genuinely wanted to join the God King's side.
The Takigage ignored the ninja entirely.
He continued to weigh his options in silence.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that the God King's original purpose for coming to the village might have been the Jinchūriki all along.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have stepped in to save her from Kakuzu's clutches the moment she was in danger.
This was very likely his goal from the start.
He sighed inwardly. Given Ryōsuke's power, the village would have no room to resist if they refused.
It was better to just go with the flow and offer her as a favor.
Besides, he had truly saved them. Without him, the entire village—save for those out on missions—would have been wiped out.
"Lord God King, we are willing to hand Fū over to you."
At that moment, the two ninja spoke up in protest.
"Lord Takigage, how can you do this? The Jinchūriki is a matter of great importance; you can't make this decision so lightly!"
They feared the Takigage was acting rashly. If he gave away the village's most precious asset just to show gratitude, what would be left for the Hidden Waterfall?
Ever since the slaughter by the traitor Kakuzu years ago, the village had been weakened, reduced to the status of a minor village. If they lost their Tailed Beast now, they would remain small and insignificant forever.
They wouldn't even have the means to resist an invasion.
Ryōsuke remained silent, waiting for the three of them to reach a conclusion.
Once they made their choice, he would act accordingly.
Meanwhile, Fū was secretly pleased. The Takigage was a good man.
She felt that once she was with the God King, she would finally live a life of ease and peace.
At the very least, she would no longer be mocked as a dangerous bomb.
But the Takigage ignored the objections of his subordinates.
"Enough. I am the Takigage. I will make this decision, and I will bear the responsibility."
His confidants wanted to say more, but they knew they couldn't argue further.
After all, he was the leader, the highest authority in the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Ryōsuke looked at the Takigage.
"Are you certain you want to hand the Jinchūriki over to me?"
The Takigage nodded.
"I am."
"However, I do not know if you have an organization of your own, Lord God King. If not, would you consider joining our village as an elder? Your status would be equal to mine."
His words surprised his subordinates once again, but this time they didn't object.
This man was incredibly powerful. If he joined them, the village's strength would skyrocket, and they would no longer have to fear total destruction.
After all, they had witnessed the terrifying scene created by the God King's cataclysmic strike.
Ryōsuke looked back at him and replied calmly.
"I'm afraid I must disappoint you; I already have an organization of my own."
"Becoming an elder of the Waterfall is out of the question, but you... you could become my subordinates."
"What do you think of that?"
His goal was to unite the shinobi world and establish a fundamental order, ensuring that mindless slaughter would never happen again.
Even though the Hidden Waterfall was a minor village, it would have to be conquered eventually. He might as well start now.
The Takigage and his two ninja were stunned.
The two ninja were especially taken aback.
The Takigage's offer for Ryōsuke to become an elder was naturally an attempt to recruit him.
As an elder, he would have high status and power, enjoying the best the village had to offer.
While they wouldn't be able to order him around, if the proposal succeeded, the village would gain his protection. It was a trade-off they were willing to support.
But now, this man wanted to be their leader. That was a different story entirely. No one wanted a superior officer appearing out of thin air to rule over their village.
Especially one who would control them and issue commands.
The two ninja looked at the Takigage, expecting him to refuse.
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