Ryosuke was on his way back to Gorin City when he stopped by a small-town tavern and watched the live broadcast of the trial of the six conglomerate leaders.
Tokugawa Shingen was a brilliant strategist. He knew exactly what Ryosuke wanted, and exactly how to do it in a way that would send a clear warning to the conglomerates.
From the very day Ryosuke left Warsaw City, Tokugawa Shingen began launching a nationwide publicity campaign.
In just four days, he had spread the word across the entire Land of Wind, letting everyone know about the "Judgment of Justice" against the conglomerates.
On the day of the trial, countless people gathered around televisions and radios. Even the strictest factory foremen had no choice but to let the workers rest at that moment.
When the trial began, the aged Grand Minister read out one by one the crimes committed by the six conglomerate heads. There were occasional objections from the defense, but under the weight of the ironclad evidence presented by Tokugawa Shingen, they could only fall silent.
Finally, at the end of the proceedings, Tokugawa Shingen folded his fan and announced the verdict, "Execution for all. Immediate enforcement."
After a brief silence, cheers erupted inside the tavern where Ryosuke was watching.
The people of the Land of Wind didn't know who those six men were. Some had never even heard of their conglomerates.
But that didn't stop them from understanding one simple truth, those rich bastards were the kind of scum who trampled on human lives.
However, when they saw the six of them actually hanged on the spot, bodies dangling like dead dogs on the gallows, the cheers gradually faded.
In people's eyes, there appeared a kind of light, something they hadn't seen in a long time.
"So… even the lords of the conglomerates… can be killed too."
Ryosuke sat before the table, a half-empty bottle of liquor in front of him.
He wasn't much of a drinker, even when he did drink, it was only a few sips. But today, he wanted to drink more, treating the trial as the perfect side dish for his alcohol.
When the executions ended, Ryosuke poured a small cup of liquor and gently spilled it onto the ground.
He didn't know exactly how many innocent lives had been lost because of these six criminals.
But he could hear the faint breathing from the other side, the afterlife, as countless wandering souls, freed by the execution of their killers, finally laughed in relief and let their resentment drift away with the wind.
"Boss," Ryosuke said, "two bowls of noodles. Extra beef. No scallions. And a whole head of garlic."
"Got it!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the tavern's door opened again.
Ryosuke turned his head.
With his movement, the quiet gazes that had been secretly watching him quickly averted their eyes.
It was dinner time. Most of his convoy were resting at the inn, while some strolled through the town. Only a few had come for a drink, and the rest of the tavern's customers were locals or travelers passing by.
Some had recognized Ryosuke through the convoy outside. Once one person figured it out, the whispers spread fast, and soon, everyone knew who he was. Yet none dared approach.
"Ryosuke."
That name alone carried too much weight. Forget about starting a conversation, even just being in the same room made their palms sweat from tension.
Kakashi stepped into the tavern. He clapped his hands hard against his cloak, shaking off a human-shaped cloud of sand behind him.
After dusting himself off, he walked over and pulled out a chair beside Ryosuke.
"Find out anything?" Ryosuke asked.
Kakashi nodded, looking uneasy, and glanced back at the road they'd come from.
They hadn't been out of Warsaw City long when they ran into a small convoy of about a dozen people.
The group wasn't unfamiliar, among them was the performer Yukie Fujikaze, the woman who had sung at the banquet that night.
She had only come to Warsaw City for a performance gig. She hadn't expected so much to happen in between, but once things settled, her group left around the same time as Ryosuke's.
When their parties crossed paths, Fuji's manager requested to travel with Ryosuke's group for safety, offering payment in return.
In the desert, danger was everywhere, the scorching heat, the lack of water, and of course, the ever-present sand bandits.
It was perfectly normal for small caravans to pay larger ones for protection.
However…
Back at the banquet, she'd been wearing heavy stage makeup, so Kakashi hadn't noticed. Now that she was bare-faced, he couldn't shake the feeling that she looked familiar, though he couldn't remember where he'd seen her before.
That usually meant she wasn't an enemy, maybe just someone from an old mission.
In the past, Kakashi would've left it at that. He'd learned to avoid unnecessary attachments, to live while keeping people at arm's length.
But after everything that had happened in the Land of Wind, he didn't want to live like that anymore, pretending to move on, when in truth he was just standing still.
So when they reached this small town, Kakashi went to see Yukie Fujikaze and asked about her real identity.
"…You're saying she's a princess from the Land of Snow?" Ryosuke raised an eyebrow.
First Tokugawa Yukino, and now Yukie Fujikaze, what was with all these princesses lately?
Kakashi corrected him, "More like a runaway princess. Her uncle's been ruling the Land of Snow for years. If she reveals who she is, the country's ninja will come after her."
While they talked, the tavern owner brought over two bowls of noodles, a large plate of beef, and an entire bulb of garlic.
Ryosuke slurped up a mouthful of noodles, chewed, and sighed softly.
"If only it were Lanzhou noodles."
Kakashi didn't understand what he meant. He picked up his chopsticks and continued, "After I confronted her, she asked me to request your help, to take back her country. She swore that once she reclaimed the Land of Snow, she'd spread your awakening philosophy there."
Ryosuke peeled a garlic clove and handed it to Kakashi.
Kakashi hesitated but took it.
As a born-and-bred Fire Country man, he wasn't used to strong flavors, even wasabi was pushing it for him.
But under Ryosuke's expectant look, he tried biting into it. Within seconds, his forehead broke into sweat. He forgot all about mission discipline and downed two cups of liquor in a panic, making Ryosuke burst out laughing.
Once he caught his breath, Ryosuke asked, "If she wants to take back her country so badly, why hasn't she come talk to me herself after traveling all this way with us?"
Kakashi shrugged. "Probably… out of fear, or doubt, or something like that. So, are you going to help her?"
Ryosuke shook his head.
"She's not ready to be a 'king.'"
Among the people Ryosuke had met, Oda Ieyasu, Tokugawa Shingen, the late Saito Ayame, and the unconscious Raikage A, whose data disk had been stolen, whatever their positions or beliefs, their determination was unshakable.
That was what true resolve meant, once you've thought it through and made your choice, you never back down, not for fear, not for pride, not even for your life.
A person who dreams of reclaiming a nation but is too afraid to even knock on a door, what could she possibly reclaim?
And even if she succeeded… could she hold it?
After listening, Kakashi asked, "So you're not going to do anything?"
Ryosuke thought for a moment. "Let her come with us to the Land of Water. Once we get there, the intel division will evaluate whether intervention's worth it, and how many people to send."
For a small, weakly defended nation like the Land of Snow, he probably wouldn't need to step in personally.
Of course, if there were strong enemies with a lot of soul fragments to harvest… that was another story.
Kakashi nodded. He didn't have any deep connection with Yukie Fujikaze, they'd just met during a mission, so asking on her behalf was already more than enough. Besides, he agreed with Ryosuke's reasoning.
Desire was one thing. Reality was another.
From what he'd seen, Yukie Fujikaze was more suited to the stage than a throne.
Kakashi finished the last sip of broth and set down his chopsticks.
"Well, we've eaten, and we've talked. Time for me to go."
North led to Konoha. West led back to Gorin City.
Kakashi had been away too long. It was time to return to the village and close out his mission.
Both men were the easygoing type. There were no drawn-out farewells, no "I'll see you again someday" drama.
They just clinked their cups one last time, drained them, and with a simple goodbye, Kakashi left the tavern, walking alone into the desert.
As the door closed, Ryosuke withdrew his gaze and set down his cup.
For the first time in a while, he opened his system interface.
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