Inside Narukami Shrine, Su Han looked over at Yae Miko.
"That man from the Kujou clan," he asked. "Still not dead?"
"Not yet," Yae said, lips tightening. "According to the reports from my covert units, Kujou Takayuki got word of the Kanjou head's death early and slipped off Narukami Island in advance.
"He's holed up at the Kujou Encampment now.
"I'm afraid this is going to hurt Sara."
The encampment was full of Shogunate troops, all conditioned to follow the Kujou family's orders. They were the ones who kept order in those regions, and the camp lay far from Narukami's direct reach. With Takayuki giving commands, a major clash was all but guaranteed.
Every soldier who died there, Yae knew, was still one of Inazuma's own.
Su Han studied her expression. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "Want any help?"
"Of course I'm doing something," she replied. "My people will take his head.
"And then we'll present it to Sara, along with our apologies.
"We can't actually let Ningguang march on Inazuma, can we?"
They were friends. They had a standing pact.
But appearances still mattered.
An envoy attacked was no small matter. If Ei refused to act, then the Guuji of Narukami had to take on the burden herself.
Yae drew out a voice‑bug. "Is little Kuki Shinobu there?" she asked.
"Yes, Lady Guuji," came the answer.
"I have a task for you," Yae said. "Within half an hour, deliver Kujou Takayuki's head to Kujou Sara.
"If she asks whose servant you are, tell her plainly."
"Yes, my lady."
She cut the link.
Far away, in a hidden training base, Kuki Shinobu turned toward Arataki Itto.
"Boss," she said, "the Guuji has a mission for me. I'll be out for a bit.
"You all keep training."
"A mission?" Itto's eyes lit up. "I want in! I've been training forever. It's time for the great Arataki to show his stuff!"
Originally, the Arataki Gang had been just that—a small, loud gang.
Not long ago, Yae had scooped them up.
Now, the gang was technically a subordinate ninja unit under Narukami Shrine.
Itto could have refused.
The price would have been a one‑million‑year prison sentence.
He had irritated the Guuji once already and learned, very quickly, that the law meant nothing in the face of a fox with that much authority.
Officially, the Arataki group still played the part of a scruffy street outfit.
In truth, they were Yae's eyes and ears.
Those broadsheets that had mysteriously appeared around the nation lately?
Their doing.
These days, Itto strutted around with more swagger than ever, commanding over a hundred people.
Shinobu only shook her head. "This is a covert job," she said. "No making waves.
"Unless you want Lady Guuji to punish you, stay here and train."
At the word "punish," a shiver ran down Itto's spine.
"Haha… that reminds me," he said quickly. "I just thought of a new move to test.
"The mission's all yours, Shinobu."
"Good boy," she said mildly. "I'll be back soon."
In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
There was no blur, no obvious motion.
Just absence.
The Body Flicker.
Only a handful of their ninja could manage it.
Shinobu had learned it in a single week.
As for why Itto was so afraid of Yae Miko, the reason was simple.
Once, after he'd gotten a power‑up, he hadn't listened at all. He'd wanted to run wild and show off.
So Yae had dunked him in a vat of fermented beans.
For three days.
By the time someone fished him out, he could barely tell reality from nightmare.
"If you defy this shrine's fox again," she had told him sweetly, "I'll let you simmer in there for three days instead of just soaking."
From then on, the mere thought of crossing her was enough to make him break into a sweat.
…
Leaving the training base, Kuki Shinobu didn't bother with a boat.
She simply ran across the water.
The sun shone bright overhead.
Her speed was so great that she didn't care who saw her.
In under ten minutes, she reached the Kujou Encampment and let her Haki spread, listening through walls to the voices inside.
At the back of the camp, in the innermost room, two men were speaking.
Kujou Takayuki—and a Fatui envoy.
"Head of the Tenryou Commission," the envoy said, voice low. "Do you still think you have a choice?
"Only by joining us will you live.
"You betrayed the Shogun. There is only one end for you now.
"We've already received word.
"Kujou Sara knows you're here.
"In less than an hour, you'll be dead."
"I have not betrayed the Shogun!" Takayuki roared. "All I did was attack a small island. I can apologize.
"Why should I die for it?"
"That question," the envoy said coolly, "you should ask Su Han.
"See if he's inclined to forgive you.
"You've read the reports about him. You know what happens to those who cross him.
"We sent our best to kill him.
"They all failed."
"If I leave Inazuma, I lose everything," Takayuki said through clenched teeth.
His greatest comfort had always been the Shogun's favor.
Now that even a hint of that had vanished, he was left with nothing.
Away from Inazuma, he'd be a nobody.
"You still have Delusions," the envoy said softly. "You still have soldiers.
"Only by joining us can you keep breathing.
"If you don't, your dear foster daughter will be here soon.
"And then you die."
"Even if I follow you," Takayuki shot back, "how long do you think I'll last? As long as Kujou Sara hunts me, I won't know peace."
The envoy's smile turned thin.
"What if we destroy the Mikage Furnace at Tatarasuna?" he asked. "The blast will level half the island.
"The Shogunate will have its hands full.
"You, meanwhile, can use the chaos to reclaim your position.
"Even if the Shogun wants your head, she won't be able to take it so easily."
"Blow up the Mikage Furnace…" Takayuki went pale. "So that's why you came to me.
"That was your real goal all along."
The Fatui's madness finally came into focus.
He realized, too late, that the people he thought he was using had already seeped into Inazuma's bones. They'd never wanted "allies."
They wanted ruins.
Still… if he could survive, and even turn the situation around…
Then they could have Tatarasuna.
He couldn't lose the head of house title.
"Fine," he said at last. "I agree. But the explosion can't be too big. If it spreads…"
"Of course. We—"
He never finished the sentence.
A hand appeared through his chest.
Lightning burned along the intruding arm, bathing the dim room in harsh light.
Kujou Takayuki froze.
He stared at the glow that had materialized out of the shadows, terror clawing at his throat.
"Y-you—who are you?" he stammered.
"Covert operative of Narukami Shrine," a calm female voice said. "Here to take your life.
"Kujou Takayuki.
"You can die now."
Kuki Shinobu pulled her arm free.
The Fatui envoy crumpled without a sound.
Takayuki fumbled for his sword.
Pain flared in his chest.
He realized too late that she was already behind him, her hand driven straight through his heart.
"I don't want to die," he rasped, coughing blood. "Spare me…"
"Beasts who wear human faces," Shinobu said coldly, "are the reason Inazuma is like this."
To cling to a clan head's seat, he had agreed to destroy Tatarasuna.
Seven thousand workers lived there.
They were "only laborers," perhaps, in his eyes.
They were still people.
And he was ready to kill them all.
"You… people… in the room!" someone shouted from outside. "There's an intruder!"
"Sound the alarm!"
The camp exploded into chaos.
When they kicked in the door, they found only two bodies on the floor.
Kujou Takayuki was dead.
…
Out at sea, Kujou Sara stood at the prow of a ship, leading a small fleet toward the encampment.
This time, she was fully prepared.
Whatever she found there, she believed she could overcome it.
She was still considering possible strategies when a figure came racing toward them over the water.
"Enemy!" a soldier cried. "Prepare to engage!"
Weapons came up at once.
Sara, however, had already seen the tenko crest at the newcomer's waist—the same mark Yae Miko wore.
Likely one of hers.
"Stand down," Sara called.
At her word, the soldiers slowly lowered their arms.
In the space of a breath, the girl had leapt aboard and landed in front of her.
They measured each other for a moment.
Sara recognized her face.
"Kuki Shinobu?" she said.
"Yes," Shinobu answered. "Codename: Night Raven.
"The target you seek has been eliminated.
"These are his heads."
She formed a quick seal.
Two wooden boxes appeared at Sara's feet.
Then she set down a voice‑bug. "I acted on Lady Guuji's orders," she said. "Use these to make your report.
"You know how the bug works.
"It contains the intelligence I recorded.
"Be careful. The Fatui are moving."
Without another word, she vanished, sprinting back out over the water at a speed that even Sara had to quietly admire.
"What in the world…" Sara muttered, looking at the bug.
When she activated it and heard the Fatui envoy's words, her face drained of color.
They had planned to blow up the Mikage Furnace.
The most chilling part was that her foster father had agreed.
"First and Second Squads," she barked. "Take the heads to Tenshukaku and deliver the voice‑bug at once. No delays.
"Everyone else, with me.
"We're heading to Tatarasuna."
"Yes, General!"
As the ships swung around, Sara's jaw was set, her eyes hard.
If the Fatui and her own clan head had their way, half an island—and thousands of lives—would be lost.
She didn't intend to be too late.