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Shin sat at the table in his study at the daimyo manor.
A top-secret report, urgently sent by Minato Namikaze, lay open before him.
The report meticulously detailed the reactions of various Konoha shinobi clans to the two plans he had offered.
The Uchiha were fanatical in their response.
The Ino-Shika-Cho were cautious and vigilant.
The Hyuga were submissive and cooperative.
Everything was proceeding exactly as expected.
As long as the correct instructions were given, these shinobi clans' reactions were clearly predictable.
Then, his gaze fell on the final section of the report.
It recorded the situation of the Shimura clan.
Shin hadn't really decided how to deal with this particular shinobi clan yet.
Perhaps Danzo's death had put enormous pressure on them.
Looking at the words "at your disposal" written next to each name on their list, Shin couldn't help but smile slightly.
There was one more sentence at the very end of the report.
"For the descendants of a criminal minister, is there still a path to serve the country?"
This made the amusement in Shin's eyes grow even deeper.
Interesting.
Those who had been pushed to a dead end, it seemed, could see their place more clearly than those affluent clans who had always enjoyed smooth sailing.
Takeshi, the butler standing beside him, noticed his lord's change in mood. He immediately lowered his head and softened his breathing.
Whenever his lord showed such an expression, it meant that someone's fate was about to be rewritten.
"Takeshi."
"I am here, my lord."
"Tell me, how should I deal with them?"
"I am dull-witted and dare not speak rashly, my lord."
"Speak when I tell you to. I pardon you of any offense!"
Takeshi dared not delay any longer. He quickly said, "Replying to you, my lord, according to the law, although the principal offender of treason has been executed, his clan should also have its titles stripped, its property confiscated, be demoted to commoners, and be permanently barred from employment in government service."
It was a very standard answer based on legal precedent.
"Demoted to commoners?" Shin thought for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "That's too wasteful."
Cultivating a shinobi required many resources, let alone an entire shinobi clan with generations of training.
He walked over to the giant shinobi world map hanging on the wall. His gaze lingered on the Land of Fire region for a long moment.
A concept had already formed clearly in his mind.
If the Shadow Guard were to be his eyes, then someone needed to be his blade.
He couldn't let the Shadow Guard serve as both eyes and blade. Otherwise, they would easily become too powerful to control effectively.
The Shimura clan—these shinobi burdened with sins and stripped of their future—were undoubtedly the best material to forge into a blade.
He would not tell anyone this idea, not even Takeshi.
After all, if a ruler is not discreet with his plans, he loses his ministers.
Thinking of this, Shin walked back to his desk. He picked up his brush and took a blank scroll.
The brush tip fell onto the paper. He wrote only a few simple words.
He sealed the scroll carefully and handed it to a Shadow Guard standing nearby in the room.
"Send someone to Konoha immediately. Give this to Minato Namikaze, and have him personally read it to the Shimura clan."
The Shadow Guard took the scroll. His figure vanished instantly.
From beginning to end, Shin did not explain a single word to Takeshi about what he had written.
At the Hokage office in Konoha village, Minato Namikaze slowly unrolled the daimyo's letter.
The content written on it made him completely stunned.
The entire letter contained only one sentence. "The entire Shimura clan is hereby ordered to depart within three days for the capital, to await judgment."
There was no harsh reprimand.
No detailed disposition plan.
Only this one ominous sentence.
Await judgment?
Was this to execute the entire clan as a warning to others?
Or was there another purpose behind it?
Minato couldn't completely guess the young lord's true thoughts.
He sighed and decided not to think about it anymore.
He just needed to be a messenger. Thinking too much was useless anyway.
He quickly composed himself and had ANBU summon Shimura Ken immediately.
Soon, the elderly man was brought into the office.
Shimura Ken looked uneasy, but there was still hope flickering in his eyes. "Hokage-sama, the daimyo, he..."
Minato didn't speak a word. He just pushed the daimyo's letter across the desk toward him.
Shimura Ken took the scroll with trembling hands.
When he saw the single sentence written on it, his aged body swayed violently. His face instantly drained of all color.
Go to the capital... await judgment...
It's over.
Everything is over!
The last shred of luck, the last glimmer of hope he'd been clinging to, was completely crushed at this moment.
He could already see it in his mind. The men, women, elderly, and young children of his clan being beheaded at the execution grounds in the capital.
"Thud!"
The scroll slipped from Shimura Ken's shaking hands. His cloudy old eyes filled with nothing but pure despair. "Hokage-sama..."
"Is there... no other way?"
He stammered, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Minato watched him in silence. Finally, he could only shake his head gently.
The light in Shimura Ken's eyes was completely extinguished.
He didn't wail or beg for mercy. Supported by his clansmen who had been waiting outside, he left the Hokage building.
He looked like a walking corpse.
After the news spread back to the Shimura clan grounds, the entire clan was instantly shrouded in deep despair.
There was no wailing.
No cursing or angry protests.
Only an extreme, suffocating silence.
A young shinobi suddenly drew a kunai, seemingly wanting to end his own life right there.
But his father standing beside him slapped the kunai away forcefully.
"If we go, we go as an entire clan!" the father roared hoarsely, his voice breaking.
They all knew that in the face of absolute power, any struggle was completely futile.
That afternoon, the Shimura clan began selling off their property and possessions.
They did not choose to flee or go into hiding.
Instead, they exchanged all their valuables for dry rations and clean water for the journey.
Because they knew that countless eyes outside their compound were staring intently at them, watching their every move.
The only thing they could do was pack their belongings, take their women and children, and embark on this journey toward what seemed like certain death.
Three days later, just as dawn broke over Konoha, a procession of over three hundred people silently walked out through the village gate.
In the procession, there were shinobi, ordinary civilians, elderly folks, and even infants still wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Everyone's face was ashen and lifeless.
This was a procession heading to the execution grounds.
On the official road leading to the capital, the procession moved slowly forward through the countryside.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt suffocating.
No one spoke a single word.
Only the heavy footsteps and the sound of cart wheels grinding over dust and gravel could be heard.
The occasional cry of an infant gradually subsided under the mother's gentle soothing.
They were the entire Shimura clan, marching together toward an unknown fate.
At the very front of the procession walked the white-haired Shimura Ken.
He wore a brand-new plain white robe. His usually straight back was now hunched with the weight of responsibility and fear.
Every step he took felt incredibly heavy.
Because he was leading his entire clan toward an unknown, but very likely destructive, end.
The clansmen walking behind him had vacant, empty eyes.
Fear had long been worn away by the long journey. Now only the numbness of resignation remained.
Finally, after days of travel, the majestic city walls of the capital appeared on the horizon.
Upon entering through the city gate, the guards checked their travel documents carefully and then waved them through.
Once inside the city proper, they were stopped by an official wearing formal robes.
"The Shimura clan?"
"Yes, sir!"
"The daimyo has ordered you to follow me."
The official said curtly, then led them through the bustling streets of the capital.
They were not taken to the administrative office where criminals were usually judged.
Nor were they led to the prison where offenders were typically held before execution.
Instead, they were ultimately led to a spacious training ground located on the outskirts of the city.
The training ground had high walls on all four sides. The only entrance was a heavy iron gate.
When the last Shimura clansman walked through into the training ground, there was a loud "Boom!"
The iron gate slammed shut behind them with finality, cutting off everything inside from the outside world.
A tremor came from the ground. The impact startled a baby into wailing loudly. Its mouth was quickly covered by its mother's hand, leaving only muffled whimpers.
Everyone's body stiffened in fear.
Their last possible retreat had been completely cut off.
They huddled together instinctively. Over three hundred people, all confined in this empty space, awaiting an unknown judgment.
Time passed bit by bit.
The sun overhead grew fiercer and hotter. Sweat drenched their clothes, but no one dared to move or complain.
After what felt like an eternity, a small door on the far side of the training ground creaked open loudly.
The door was pushed open slowly.
A figure walked in, silhouetted against the bright light behind him.
He wore a simple black everyday robe, without any ornaments or decorations. His steps were unhurried and measured.
But the moment he appeared, the entire training ground fell into absolute silence.
The man slowly walked to the center of the field and stopped.
He didn't speak immediately. He just calmly scanned everyone present with his gaze. His handsome face was completely devoid of any expression.
An indescribable pressure descended upon them all.
Wherever his gaze swept across, the Shimura clansmen lowered their heads immediately. Their breathing became cautious and shallow.
His dignified presence made it impossible to look directly at him.
It was him!
The daimyo of the Land of Fire, Shin Kurogane!