Patting herself on the back for a job well done, Kozue now had less to worry about the loyalty of the 3 women.
After greeting the 5 women and sitting down, Kozue thought about what she was able to gain during this trip.
Although he had many points, he used most of them to obtain an optimal background and had few left to obtain something else.
As an inhabitant of this world, he automatically obtained his own chakra pathway system, so he didn't have to spend points on this.
In addition to her own background and that of the girls, Kozue spent her remaining points on Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu, and Kenjutsu talent.
I was interested in Fuinjutsu for several reasons.
Whether it's because of their versatility and ability to trap opponents stronger than oneself, or because they have the knowledge to escape being sealed away by an enemy.
He also chose talent in Kenjutsu because he hoped it would combine with his swordsmanship skills from the pirate world.
Since he was already capable of performing flying cuts, he hoped to increase his swordsmanship talent and the power of his cuts by adding an elemental nature.
It's not known if it will work, but it's worth a try.
At first he thought about only choosing talent in Fuinjutsu and Kenjutsu, since he had magic and wouldn't depend on Ninjutsu.
But seeing that he had points to spare, he also chose the Ninjutsu talent just in case.
Besides many useful Ninjutsu that will require some talent to learn, Kozue knew that chakra was made up of physical energy and elemental energy.
With a powerful body and a powerful mind, Kozue would be a chakra powerhouse.
And as she ate the dishes that the maids placed on the table, Kozue confirmed her assumption by feeling the powerful chakra contained within her body.
In this way, the group spent several minutes having breakfast.
"Young sir"
Suddenly, a maid arrived to inform Kozue, and she nodded in acceptance of the message.
Shortly afterwards, he got up from the table after finishing eating.
While the girls stayed at the house, Kozue took his sword and left in the direction of the Ichihara family's main house in the Fire Capital while being accompanied by a servant.
His father had called him.
Reviewing her memories of her current situation, Kozue also put all her effort into feeling what surrounded her.
His Observation Haki expanded and surrounded the entire land of the Ichihara family.
While ignoring unnecessary conversations, some things he encountered confirmed that his stay in the fire capital would not be peaceful.
Especially given his father's state of health in this world.
Tetsui Ichihara, head of the Ichihara family, was Kozue's father in this world.
As a wealthy merchant and member of the great Ichihara family, Tetsui wielded considerable power.
Not only did he have connections with some nobles, but even the Daimyo was his friend in his youth.
Besides his skill as a merchant, being a friend of the current Daimyo was the main reason why the Ichihara family chose him as head of the family.
With the favor of the Daimyo, it could be said that the Ichihara Family was prosperous in the land of fire.
That was true, but now the Ichihara family was in some serious trouble.
Tetsui Ichihara was ill.
Many famous doctors in the capital examined him, and none could find what was wrong with him.
The only thing they could do was prescribe certain medicinal soups to treat the symptoms.
Unable to find a cure, this disease has been affecting Tetsui for many years, and at this moment the disease has worsened and he spends most of the day in bed.
No matter how many soups with medicinal ingredients I consumed, I couldn't stop getting sicker.
If things continued this way, Tetsui would not be alive the following year.
Understanding his situation, he and the Ichihara family knew that he had to choose a new head of the family.
Although the Ichihara family was not in danger of extinction, the change of power was always complicated, and no one knew if the new head of the family could continue to bring prosperity to the family.
Besides Tetsui's eldest son, Noboru Ishihara, there were several sons of the family elders competing for the position.
The competition for leadership of the Ichihara family was fierce, and everyone was waiting to see who would emerge victorious.
Especially if someone involves ninjas.
Although the family banned ninjas from participating in the competition, they can't do anything if they can't prove who hired those ninjas.
Especially if they are rogue ninjas, who take on illegal tasks in the black market and will not be able to know who hired them.
Furthermore, the possibility of ninjas from other countries becoming involved cannot be ruled out.
After all, ninjas from a village cannot undertake assassination missions within their own country. That is illegal, and the village will face severe penalties if they are caught.
But that doesn't stop them from taking on such tasks in other countries. And if the reward is attractive, they wouldn't mind traveling great distances.
Recently, many ninjas from the Leaf Village have been seen, and everyone knows that they were hired by elders and other family members who wanted extra protection and did not want to suffer collateral damage in this competition.
As she made her way to the main mansion and toured the Ichihara family property, Kozue could feel eyes on her from all sides.
While some just looked at him with curiosity, others made comments among themselves.
But no matter who it was, whenever Kozue passed through their line of sight they would stare, wondering what place Kozue would have in this competition.
Kozue left home at the age of 11 and 7 years have passed since his absence, so few remember him.
At first they thought they would never see him again, but surprisingly the head of the family ordered him to be called at this time.
With many eyes on him, Kozue crossed the Ichihara family property and arrived at the main mansion.
Before entering, he had to hand over his sword to the guards.
The servant who accompanied him said goodbye, and Kozue was escorted inside the mansion by another maid.
"Brother!" someone suddenly shouted, and Kozue looked at the owner of the voice.
In front of him appeared a young man of about 20 years old with a smile on his face.
"How have you been?"
"I just found out you came back home," the young man said.
"Fine," Kozue replied curtly.
Noboru has always treated him badly, especially behind his father's back, so Kozue wasn't exactly happy to see him.
Ignoring the surroundings, Noboru approached to hug him.
"Let's go"
"Dad said he wanted to see you," Noboru said, and Kozue struggled not to punch him in the face.
Although he suppressed the feelings and emotions from the memories of this world, it did not take away the fact that Noboru never treated him well and they were definitely not family.
Noboru's behavior was already strange.
But his Observation Haki confirmed it when he sensed the anger inside Noboru very well hidden behind his forced smile.
Together with the maid, Kozue headed towards her father's room with Noboru resting his arm on her shoulders and talking to him as if they were the best of siblings.
Toc Toc Toc
"Sir, young Mr. Kozue is here as you requested."
Upon arriving at her father's room, the maid went ahead and knocked to announce her presence.
Soon, the door slid open and a middle-aged woman appeared.
Seeing the woman's resemblance to Noboru, it wasn't hard to guess that she was Noboru's mother and his father's main wife.
Hanako Ishihara
Kozue clearly remembers his childhood and the woman in front of him always treated him with indifference.
Although he never treated him badly directly, Kozue was sure that Noboru treated him badly on his mother's orders.
And sensing the woman's malice with her Haki, he confirmed what he had suspected since childhood.
"Madam," Kozue greeted, bowing slightly in respect.
Hanako Ichihara has maintained a strong power within the family.
Not only as her father's principal wife, but also as a member of the Yamaguchi Noble family.
To stabilize his position and gain more allies, his father married this woman from the Yamaguchi Noble family, and Kozue had to accept that it was a great idea.
Although the Yamaguchi family controls a small portion of land in the Land of Fire, they wield considerable power through numerous marriage alliances with the Daimyo family and ninja families.
Althou
gh many noble families do that, the Yamaguchi family stands out from all the others because the Daimyo's chief wife is from this family.
With the support of the Yamaguchi family, Hanako Ichihara has brought many benefits to the Ichihara family, and many elders are on her side.
Of course, the malice within the mother and son that Kozue sensed told her that her time in this world would not begin in peace.