The commotion in the forest ceased, and an instant silence fell.
The light breeze gently brushed their cheeks, and the movement of their hair was clearly audible.
On the ground, the elegantly dressed mother and daughter were covered in dust, their inner clothes soaked with cold sweat.
The beautiful woman first looked in terror at the assailants at the fork in the road, then turned her head to look at the beautiful woman high up on the branch.
Holding a child in her arms, this woman must be a good person!
The beautiful woman's mind raced.
Clenching her teeth, she took a desperate gamble, pulling her daughter, and limped frantically toward Megumai's position.
However, the mother and daughter were accustomed to a life of luxury, having pampered, delicate bodies.
Having just been thrown from the carriage, they were in pain all over and quickly ran out of strength.
Coupled with the fear in their hearts, they stumbled, fell to the ground, and could no longer get up.
"I am Matsudaira Nai, the Daimyo's daughter! Please, noble warrior, lend us a hand! The Tetsu no Kuni will offer a generous reward! A generous reward!!"
The beautiful woman cried out hoarsely, her veins bulging on her forehead as she desperately crawled toward Megumai's position with her daughter.
At the fork in the road, the four Shinobis stood still, vigilantly watching Megumai, allowing the Daimyo's daughter and the princess to crawl.
They're just ordinary people, after all. How far can they crawl in a year or two? The urgent matter is to deal with this unwelcome guest!
Daring to travel alone with an infant in a time of chaos. Looking at her demeanor, she is composed and calm despite the sudden turmoil. Her strength is definitely extraordinary!
The leading Shinobi calmly analyzed the situation and decided not to create any complications. He immediately spoke in a loud voice.
"The road is wide open; let's go our separate ways and not interfere with each other! We are willing to offer five hundred thousand ryo as a toll! Please accept it, Your Excellency!"
As he spoke, the leading Shinobi took out the exact number of banknotes from a scroll and placed them on the ground to show sincerity.
One of the Shinobis beside him, whose face was scarred, was subtly discontent, unwilling to so easily share a part of the blood money they had risked their lives for with an outsider.
Can't four of us beat one? That woman is also holding a child, which must be a huge hindrance. We'll know as soon as we start fighting!
The scarred Shinobi thought so but did not object verbally.
He trusted his leader's wisdom, having fought together for so many years.
He would ask his brother for his reasoning after the matter was concluded.
...
On the tree branch, Megumai heard the beautiful woman introduce herself as 'Matsudaira Nai, the Daimyo's daughter,' and the anecdote the flower shop owner had told her a month ago flashed through her mind.
'The Daimyo's daughter is coming here to visit with the princess.'
'It's said that this tour is in preparation for selecting a fiefdom for the princess after she comes of age. Many cities along the route, from the capital to the northern stronghold, are candidates!'
At the time, Megumai thought that such a high-profile, widely-publicized tour was a foolish act, unless it was a deliberate false advertisement to confuse listeners, which would be another matter entirely.
Now, it seemed the Tetsu no Kuni officials were purely being foolish!
Upon this thought, the faint pity Megumai had for the mother and daughter's misfortune vanished completely.
If you don't value your own life, who can you blame? Crying out to heaven and praying to Buddha is useless when death is at the door!
Megumai had no intention of rescuing the Daimyo's daughter and the princess, nor did she plan to take the Shinobis' toll money.
She appreciated the other party's pragmatism.
These people had better judgment than the bandits she had encountered before, not resorting to violence the moment they met but aiming for amicable profit.
For this, Megumai didn't mind making it easy for them.
After all, intelligent people deserved to earn money and live to spend it!
Below the tree, Matsudaira Nai saw Megumai remain silent and assumed she was tempted by the assailants' toll money.
She immediately shouted a price, "Fifty million ryo!"
"If Your Excellency saves us today, I am willing to compensate you with fifty million ryo! Guaranteed by the Tetsu no Kuni Bank!!"
At the brink of death, Matsudaira Nai did not hesitate, immediately increasing the price by a hundredfold, striving to win Megumai's heart.
The leading Shinobi gasped inwardly, thinking, Truly worthy of the Daimyo's daughter, she is wealthy! We must exploit this fully later!
The difference in price offered was vast. However, the leading Shinobi did not prepare to increase his offer.
Firstly, he didn't have that much money; it was impossible to offer a higher price than Matsudaira Nai.
Secondly, on one side was taking five hundred thousand ryo without effort, and on the other was risking a fight to gain fifty million ryo.
The leading Shinobi believed Megumai was a smart person who would seriously consider the risks and rewards.
Megumai said nothing.
She had accumulated considerable assets over the past two years and was no longer interested in money.
Five hundred thousand or fifty million were just numbers, incapable of moving her heart.
Megumai grew weary of the farce.
Holding Seiya, she detoured and walked in another direction.
The leading Shinobi sighed in relief, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
A person of great wisdom! She won't take money from either side, showing absolutely no intention of interfering. Not being greedy when faced with windfall wealth is rare!
Watching Megumai's retreating, Matsudaira Nai looked utterly desolate, like the camel crushed by the final straw, tears silently streaming down her face.
At the same time, her daughter beside her shouted toward Megumai's receding figure, "I am Matsudaira Tachibana, the first successor to the throne of the Tetsu no Kuni! I swear by my family name that if we are rescued today, I will surely bestow glory and wealth upon your family, co-existing with the nation!"
The girl, about ten years old, spoke every word with power and resonance, like the ringing of metal.
The forest was silent.
Megumai stopped her steps and looked back.
The vanished pity in her eyes resurfaced, and she greatly admired the little girl's wit for survival.
But unfortunately, this condition still couldn't move her.
The Tetsu no Kuni was a neutral country.
Its status might have been transcendent during the Shinobi Wars, but in peacetime, it was increasingly prone to chaos and was not a good country to live in.
Megumai's goal for this journey was to take her son to Kumogakure, the most stable hidden village in the future Shinobi World.
The glory and wealth of the Tetsu no Kuni were meaningless.
Megumai walked away. The blood and fire of the Shinobi War had tempered her heart into iron. To this day, almost nothing could move her.
As Megumai's footsteps grew distant, the light in Matsudaira Tachibana's eyes slowly faded.
At the fork in the road, the Shinobis picked up the banknotes from the ground and began to approach, their swords glinting with bloodlust.
Seiya, clinging to Megumai's shoulder, had his back to the bloody scene, unable to see it.
He only saw the ashen-faced Matsudaira Tachibana and the assailants with their bloodthirsty blades, and a scene from a cartoon he had watched flashed through his mind.
Countless acts of righteous intervention, countless acts of helping others...
A righteous heart, a brave person...
Towering heroes, shining with light!
Seiya stared intently at the desperate mother and daughter and murmured, "Mommy, they are so pitiful. Can we help them?"
Megumai paused in her steps.
Without hesitation, she turned around, and a snow-white Shinobi blade flashed into her hand.
"Shoot him dead! God Spear!"
As the chakra burst forth, the blade rapidly extended, like a streak of dazzling white light!
In an instant, the blade's tip pierced the heart of the leading Shinobi.
Megumai was expressionless.
She gently twisted her wrist.
The blade tip traced a graceful arc, severing the heads of the other three Shinobis.
Blood splattered. Everything happened in an instant.
The Shinobi squad did not even have time to be startled before their lives were gone.
Seiya, clinging to Megumai's shoulder, had his back to the bloody scene and only heard his mother say, "Baby, they are safe now."
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