Shisui's mouth twitched a bit upon hearing this.
It had to be said… this really was in line with the clan head's style.
He immediately said:
"Should I make another trip?"
Gento waved his hand:
"No need. Business comes first. Lead the way."
Shisui nodded and led Gento toward the Feudal Lord's palace.
After passing through several streets and alleys, the view suddenly opened up.
A magnificent palace stood at the very center of the city, occupying a vast area and exuding grandeur.
The main structure followed traditional Japanese architectural style, with layered dark gray tiled roofs and sharply upturned eaves.
The outer walls were built from massive logs and snow-white plaster.
A wide moat surrounded the palace, its water crystal clear, with koi swimming leisurely within.
The main gate was a massive vermilion tower gate, studded with gilded bronze nails that gleamed under the sunlight.
On both sides of the gate stood fully armed samurai, holding long spears, their expressions solemn.
Passing through the gate, one could vaguely see the garden within.
Artificial hills and flowing water, pine trees and bamboo, with exquisite stone lanterns decorating the scenery; everywhere exuded elegance.
In the distant corridors, maidservants carrying lacquer trays moved gracefully, their sleeves fluttering.
The entire palace possessed both imposing majesty and refined elegance, displaying the wealth of the Land of Hot Water in every detail.
As a nation famous for hot springs, the Land of Hot Water attracted countless visitors every year, and the wealth brought by tourism made it far richer than neighboring small countries.
Naturally, the Feudal Lord's palace had to match that prosperity.
Shisui stepped forward to report their arrival.
The samurai at the gate sized them up and said arrogantly:
"The Feudal Lord is entertaining distinguished guests and has no time to see you. Wait!"
With that, he had servants take the two of them to a remote room.
They were not even served tea.
Gento frowned slightly, displeased by such arrogance.
Shisui, however, remained calm, as if being treated this way by the Feudal Lord was only natural.
This wait lasted three hours.
Gento sat there, his expression growing darker and darker.
He had already begun considering whether to use some extraordinary methods.
Just as Gento was thinking about taking action, someone finally pushed the door open.
It was a well-dressed attendant, his tone still condescending:
"The Feudal Lord summons you both to the banquet hall!"
Gento nodded without expression.
He stood up, bringing Shisui along as they followed the attendant to the banquet hall.
Arriving at the banquet hall, the doors opened, and a noisy mix of wine aroma and heavy perfume rushed toward them.
The hall was brightly lit, illuminating everything in resplendent gold.
The floor was covered with luxurious brocade carpets, intricate in pattern and vivid in color.
Low tables lined both sides, piled high with delicacies and fine wine.
More than twenty richly dressed guests reclined or sat, raising cups and laughing loudly.
Among them were local nobles of the Land of Hot Water, as well as aristocrats from neighboring small nations.
There were even a few Feudal Lords from other countries dressed in foreign attire.
Gento recognized one of them–it was the Feudal Lord of the Land of Tea, whom he had once seen in the Hidden Leaf Village.
At the main seat facing the entrance, a middle-aged man around fifty lay slouched on a cushioned couch.
He wore luxurious purple-gold robes, his hair neatly combed yet slightly disheveled from drink.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes hazy and languid.
He was the Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water, Yuto Adachi.
At this moment, he held two lightly dressed young women in his arms.
The women wore gauze garments as thin as cicada wings, their collars wide open, exposing large areas of pale skin.
One was feeding him grapes, while the other was being fondled by him, letting out soft giggles.
Below, seven or eight dancers performed.
Their outfits were even more revealing, the thin gauze barely covering anything, their waists swaying to the music, flashes of spring scenery revealed with every movement.
Several nobles watched in fascination, some even reaching out to grab passing dancers, eliciting coquettish protests.
Gento swept his gaze across the room and noticed several familiar figures in a corner.
They were Uchiha Anbu, dressed in plain clothes, disguised as guards, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
Seeing Gento, they gave a slight nod.
Gento remained composed and followed the attendant to stand before Yuto.
Yuto had been buried in a concubine's chest. Only when he heard someone approach did he lazily lift his head, squinting as he sized Gento up.
That gaze was arrogant and disdainful, as if looking at a servant summoned at will.
"So you're the Uchiha clan head?"
As he spoke, he climbed up from the concubine's chest and casually slapped her, drawing a coquettish reaction as she dodged away.
Gento nodded.
"You came to see me? What for?"
Yuto took a sip from his wine cup, his tone filled with impatience.
Gento stepped forward and leaned close, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Lord Yuto, our Uchiha have discovered that a rogue ninja organization is plotting your assassination."
Yuto's previously relaxed expression froze.
"What?!"
He abruptly sat up, spilling wine from his cup:
"Where are they?"
"Quick! Kill them immediately!"
"They may act tonight. Please do not panic, follow us to the rear. I will handle the situation."
"Also, do not let anyone here notice anything unusual, or the rogue ninja may act prematurely."
Yuto did not dare delay and quickly stood up.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the panic on his face, putting on a calm front as he waved to the concubines beside him:
"I'm going to change clothes. You all continue drinking."
With that, he left through a side door with Gento and Shisui, arriving at a secluded side hall.
After the doors were shut, Yuto finally let out all panick, grabbing Gento's arm:
"Who are they? Tell me now!"
"I'll immediately mobilize the guards to surround and eliminate them!"
Gento did not answer, only giving Shisui a look.
Shisui paused for a moment.
In the end, he clenched his teeth and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan toward Yuto.
"Kotoamatsukami!"
A sharp pain struck his left eye, and a line of bloody tears flowed down his cheek.
Yuto's previously panicked eyes instantly turned vacant, his entire body standing there stiffly like a puppet.
Shisui did not dare delay and immediately began rewriting his cognition:
"You will forever be loyal to Gento Uchiha-sama."
As the words fell, Yuto's eyes gradually regained clarity.
He blinked and looked at Gento.
The arrogance and disdain from before had all vanished, replaced by genuine respect and obedience from the depths of his heart.
He straightened his robes and bowed deeply to Gento:
"Your subordinate, Yuto Adachi, greets Gento-sama."
A surge of excitement rose in Gento's heart.
In the shinobi world, the status of a Feudal Lord was supreme.
Even though shinobi wielded ninjutsu, in the eyes of a Feudal Lord, they were nothing more than tools to be summoned and dismissed at will.
Let alone obtaining the loyalty of a Feudal Lord?
Such a thing had never occurred in the shinobi world for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Now, under the power of Kotoamatsukami, this unimaginable feat had become reality!
Even more astonishing was that Yuto himself felt nothing was wrong.
In his current cognition, being loyal to Gento was the most natural thing in the world.
He even believed he had always thought this way.
Gento helped Yuto to his feet and gave a low-voiced order:
"In front of others, you will still treat me as your subordinate. Do not reveal any flaws."
Yuto nodded repeatedly:
"Yes! Rest assured, my lord."
Gento continued:
"Additionally, immediately disband Hidden Steam (Yugakure) and publicly announce that the Uchiha clan will be introduced to establish a brand-new shinobi village."
Yuto nodded without a shred of hesitation.
"And also, grant me a noble title within the Land of Hot Water, with actual territory as a fief, to serve as the foundation for the Uchiha's new village."
Yuto immediately called out:
"Guards! Bring the national map!"
The attendants moved swiftly and soon presented a massive map scroll.
The scroll slowly unfurled across the table, revealing the full landscape of the Land of Hot Water.
Yuto eagerly pointed at the map, his tone full of flattery:
"My lord, please choose your fief! There are many prosperous regions within the Land of Hot Water."
Gento looked at the map and asked:
"Aside from the Feudal Lord's residence, which is the second most prosperous place in the Land of Hot Water?"
Yuto did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately pointed to a coastal port city in the east:
"Cloudspring Harbor, the largest port in the Land of Hot Water."
"Merchants gather there, and cargo ships come and go without end. It is the most prosperous and wealthy city aside from the Feudal Lord's residence."
Gento's eyes lit up.
Cloudspring Harbor had convenient transportation, making it suitable for taking mission commissions from the major nations.
Its developed economy would also facilitate the rapid growth of the Uchiha.
He immediately made his decision:
"This place will do!"
Yuto nodded repeatedly and said eagerly:
"My lord, please follow me outside. I will immediately announce your enfeoffment to the distinguished guests from within the country and abroad."
Inside the banquet hall, the music and dancing continued.
Yuto strode back to the main seat and raised his hand.
The music came to an abrupt halt, and the dancers stopped and retreated to the side.
The guests set down their cups and looked at him curiously.
Yuto cleared his throat and loudly declared:
"Everyone, look here!"
"I have an announcement to make!"
...
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