"From now on, you, Hiiragi Kōchū, will be the head of the Hiiragi Clan."
"With the Tri-Commission united, the people of Inazuma will finally be able to enjoy a life of prosperity."
"Yes, yes! Brother Kamisato Ichiman, you speak the absolute truth."
"Hahaha, Brother Kujou Ittou, your words are as smooth as silk."
"Come! Hiiragi Kōchū will toast his two elder brothers with a drink!"
The Hiiragi Clan had no internal strife, but under the combined pressure of the Kujou and Kamisato Clans, the position of Clan Head naturally changed hands.
What baffled many, including numerous other clans, was that the Kamisato and Kujou Clans had directly bypassed the Raiden Shogun to seize power through force, acting as if they feared nothing.
Yet, they had actually succeeded. Now, the heads of the three great clans had all been replaced, and the rest of the minor clans were being reshuffled. To this day, the Raiden Shogun had not set foot outside Tenshukaku, but the pitch-black thunderclouds in the sky served as a constant reminder that she was still within.
But why wouldn't the Raiden Shogun act? She hadn't even issued a single inquiry. After all, Kujou Sara and the former head of the Kujou Clan were still imprisoned in the Kujou Clan's private dungeon. The Kamisato siblings and their followers had vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown. As for the Hiiragi Clan... well, they were a lost cause anyway.
In any case, whether it was Kujou Sara or the two Kamisato siblings, they all had extremely high reputations among the people. In contrast, what kind of clowns were the current heads of the three major clans? They were names that had never been heard of before, and they sounded strange. This made the people of Inazuma unable to help but feel a sense of apprehension about the future.
Previously, when Inazuma City was attacked by enemies and countless people were killed and injured, the Raiden Shogun, who was inside Tenshukaku, didn't even act. Now, she still hasn't acted. This has made many people even begin to wonder if there's something wrong with the Raiden Shogun.
Perhaps the reason these three are so arrogant is that they knew about this in advance?
"Burp, good wine!"
"Senior Brother Kujou Ittou, those two traitors from the Kamisato Clan haven't been caught yet. Please put a lot of effort into this for me."
"Sure, sure. With the friendship between our two clans, I will naturally help you with such a small matter."
"Alright, let's not think about those depressing things right now."
"Am I not worried that those people will refuse to give up their treacherous ambitions and secretly come back to cause trouble?"
"Those people are probably shivering in some cold cave right now. With their strength, they can't achieve anything. Running away is what they're busy with, how could they actively come back to seek death?"
"Hahaha, Senior Brother Hiiragi Kōchū is right. Drink!"
-
Just as the three of them were clinking glasses, in a corner of the room, a vase began to inch slowly toward the door.
"Good wine, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
While the three were proposing toasts to each other, the vase vanished from the room in an instant, and a small, agile figure flipped onto the roof.
"So sleepy, the mission is finally over, time to go back and sleep."
Sayu yawned, scratched her big tail behind her, then directly tucked her head and rolled forward, her body turning into a small green ball that rolled away in the distance at extremely high speed.
Although Sayu's speed was very fast, as a ninja of the Shuumatsuban who also mastered Anemo Energy, she could make her body extremely light, ensuring that she made almost no sound at all while rolling. Thus, none of the stationed samurai noticed her on the way.
Leaving the Hiiragi Clan's estate, Sayu gave herself even more speed and arrived at a cave on the coast of Ritou in a short while.
"I'm back."
Seeing Sayu return, Kamisato Ayaka's face showed a visible look of relief, while Kamisato Ayato appeared from the side and looked at Sayu gently as he asked.
"Sayu, tell us the information you gathered."
"Yes, My Lord."
Upon seeing Kamisato Ayato, Sayu shook her head to wake herself up a bit, then began to recount the conversation the three had just had.
Soon, Sayu's words drew in many soldiers and retainers, everyone crowding closer. However, about halfway through, their expressions all soured.
"These three are in cahoots, disrupting Inazuma's stability and peace. They must be killed!"
"My Lord, while all three are on Ritou, let's fight them head-on!"
Feeling the hopeful gazes of the soldiers, Kamisato Ayato shook his head.
"Now is not the time."
"Though all three are gathered on Ritou, their defenses are not weak. To strike now would only result in mutual destruction."
"Besides, no matter the outcome, excessive internal strife within Inazuma is never a good thing. The enemy we face is already powerful enough. If our forces suffer significant losses due to internal conflict, the situation will only become more dire later on."
Hearing Kamisato Ayato's analysis, everyone lowered their heads, their eyes filled with rage.
"My Lord, are we just going to let those three bastards run wild and seize everything that rightfully belongs to us?"
These words resonated with everyone. They had been heroes defending their home just a moment ago, only to be branded traitors and turncoats the next.
Those people had started digging up old grievances, bringing up the Kamisato Clan's alliance with Watatsumi Island.
But that matter had been tacitly approved by Yae Miko herself. In fact, Yae Miko and Sangonomiya Kokomi were even close friends who shared a love for reading.
Yae Miko had personally vouched for the alliance back then. However, this was internal information that ordinary people could never have known, which allowed those few to exploit the loophole.
The massive psychological gap between being heroes and being branded traitors made the soldiers wish they could charge back right then and there.
"Of course, we won't just let this matter slide."
Kamisato Ayato saw the indignation in the soldiers' hearts and spoke with a smile, though the smile was a bit cold.
"But we need to choose another method."
"For example, we could go directly to Lady Guuji. At this point, she is probably the only one who would be able to see the Almighty Shogun under such circumstances."
Actually, there was another way to send those three to their doom: wait for the enemy to attack, or even for the hidden crisis in Inazuma to fully erupt.
Kamisato Ayato believed that when that time came, those three would be completely unable to handle it with their abilities alone, and would ultimately be nailed to the pillar of shame.
But if he chose this method, who knows how many people in Inazuma would die. Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, Kamisato Ayato would never choose this path.
Hearing that Yae Miko would also take action, everyone visibly relaxed, feeling that this method was quite a good one.
If they were to forcibly start a war, they might never be able to remove the label of traitor from their bodies.
Although they had already mentally prepared themselves from the moment they decided to leave with Kamisato Ayato, it was obviously better to avoid the worst-case scenario if possible.
"Sayu, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make another trip!"
"Go to Mt. Yougou and find Lady Guuji."
Hearing Kamisato Ayato's words, Sayu's expression instantly crumbled.
It was an overtime work attack!
Sayu really wanted to throw down her burden and quit, but facing Kamisato Ayato's gentle gaze, she ultimately accepted the assignment.
"Yes, My Lord. Sayu will leave right away."
"There's no need to rush. You can take a nap before you go."
Kamisato Ayato shook his head and spoke, and upon hearing his words, a bright smile immediately appeared on Sayu's face.
Not long after, Sayu's figure vanished from the cave, and Kamisato Ayato withdrew his gaze and looked at Kamisato Ayaka.
"Ayaka, where is Aoba?"
"Aoba took some people to set up traps."
"He said that although this place is remote, it's not absolutely safe, so we still need to leave a way out."
Hearing Kamisato Ayaka's words, Kamisato Ayato nodded, feeling even more satisfied with this young man, Aoba.
Although Aoba was young, his conduct was so steady and mature that Ayato could find no fault in him.
However, this alone was far from enough to let him take away his worldwide most adorable sister!
Kamisato Ayato narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in them!
Even when he knew he had been betrayed, and was on the verge of losing his position as Clan Head, he had never shown such an expression!
"Brother?"
Sensing the change in Kamisato Ayato, Kamisato Ayaka immediately asked with concern.
"I am fine, Ayaka..."
Kamisato Ayato shook his head, his gaze softening once again. It made one feel as if they had just imagined the terrifying scene before them.
Yes, I must have seen wrong. How could my brother, who is so gentle, show such a scary expression?! Kamisato Ayaka comforted herself inwardly.
Just as Kamisato Ayaka was about to say something, she suddenly saw a familiar figure walking quickly toward them outside the cave. It was Aoba.
Kamisato Ayaka immediately abandoned the words she was about to say, stepped past Kamisato Ayato, and walked a few steps outside, greeting Aoba with a bright smile as he hurried toward her.
Seeing this scene, the smile on Kamisato Ayato's face cracked completely.
"Milady, My Lord, we've been spotted!"
As soon as Aoba approached, he immediately delivered this crucial piece of information.
Hearing this, Kamisato Ayato could no longer afford to dwell on the fact that Aoba was about to steal his sister away. His expression turned grave once again.
"Aoba, are you certain about this?"
"I'm absolutely certain. I wasn't the only one who saw them." Aoba answered without hesitation.
"The purpose of their search seems very clear. They are focused on this specific area, though they don't know our exact location. But I believe it won't be long before they find us."
Upon hearing Aoba's words, many of the people present shot to their feet.
The enemy was simply pushing them too far!
"My Lord, let's fight them!"
At this moment, those people could no longer hold themselves back. After all, this recent period had been truly suffocating.
"Yes, I understand."
Kamisato Ayato nodded, raising his hand to suppress the erupting emotions of the group. He tried his best to maintain his calm facade, but his inner thoughts were already churning like a turbulent sea.
How is this possible? How long have we even been here seeking refuge? How could we have been discovered already?
And according to Aoba, the enemy seems to already know our general location. Someone must have leaked the information!
Kamisato Ayato swept his gaze over the people in the cave, whose expressions varied wildly upon hearing the news, and his heart grew even heavier.
Who could the traitor be?
He first ruled out Aoba, who had discovered this and immediately run to report it to them. As for the rest, everyone looked like a traitor to him!
Besides, if Aoba had a problem, he wouldn't have been able to come up with a countermeasure on the fly last time to help him and Kamisato Ayaka escape safely.
Indeed, the plan to deliberately lure Kamisato Ichiman into a trap, and even the act of using words to bluff and deepen the enemy's suspicions, were all informed by Aoba in advance. Of course, how to say it for the best effect was left to Kamisato Ayato's own discretion.
At this moment, Aoba spoke again to ask Kamisato Ayato.
"My Lord, should we take this opportunity to set a proper trap for them, or should we relocate as quickly as possible?"
"The traps I've set are basically complete."
"I am confident that with those traps, we can reduce their numbers by at least half before they even reach here!"
Hearing Aoba's words, Kamisato Ayato temporarily put aside the matter of the traitor, and a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze appeared on his face again.
"Since you have already prepared the traps, Aoba, it is not out of the question for me to act as the bait."
Watching the scene before her, Kuki Shinobu clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white, and her body trembled slightly.
Stretching out before her was an ordinary village. In terms of layout, it seemed no different from any other village, except for the Shogunate Army stationed outside and the corpses lying along the roads inside, completely cold and lifeless, beside people who were barely clinging to life.
Those corpses were not the result of natural deaths; their skin radiated an eerie hue.
In a mere moment, Kuki Shinobu realized what had happened.
These people were likely Yashiori Island residents who hadn't had time to evacuate. After the mastermind's plan was officially put into motion, the environment of Musoujin Gorge expanded to cover the entire Yashiori Island, turning them into nothing more than test subjects.
For those behind this, the residents of Yashiori Island, having been exposed to the god's remains for a long time, had developed a certain level of resistance, making them the perfect test subjects.
What an inhumane act. She believed that besides this village, many other settlements on Yashiori Island must be in the same condition.
This completely crossed Kuki Shinobu's inner line, making her struggle to resist the physical impulse to act.
However, in the end, Kuki Shinobu still held back. Although there weren't many Shogunate Army soldiers stationed in the village, it would be extremely difficult to defeat them and retreat in a short period of time.
Furthermore, she had more important matters to attend to. Thwarting the enemy's conspiracy and saving more people was what she needed to focus on right now.
Thinking this, Kuki Shinobu took a deep breath, then turned to look beside her.
"Let's go, Boss."
Yet, the moment she finished speaking, Kuki Shinobu froze. She couldn't see Arataki Itto's figure anywhere. He had vanished without her noticing.
The next time Kuki Shinobu saw Arataki Itto, he had already charged forward, locked in a brawl with the Shogunate Army soldiers.
"Boss, you really never give me a moment's peace."
Kuki Shinobu shook her head helplessly, then immediately joined the fray.
Since the battle had already begun, she had no more worries!
Wipe them out!