Inari * Tengu Wind

Inari Shrine is located at the summit of the Yam Mountain Range. There are countless Shrines with a long history in Land of Hot Water, such as the Shrines of the Seven Lucky Gods and the sea god. Among them, Inari Shrine is one of the few large Shrines that has existed since ancient times.

In order to seek various divine blessings, especially the connection between the gods and the gods, a large number of worshippers visit every year.

Of course, Ō-Inari is mainly in charge of agriculture and commerce, that is, the fields of commercial wealth. However, as mentioned above, men and women who come to visit still pray for blessings and good fortune at the Inari Shrine, which is closest to the Commercial Street, in order to seek various blessings.

Of course, locals also come here to pray for blessings, like my sister.

My younger sister, Tamamo-no-Mae, is a girl of extraordinary beauty, just like the legendary jade-faced fox spirit, as her name suggests.

She is a rare gem, possessing both beauty and kindness; simply being by her side would be as wonderful as living amidst blooming roses.

Unfortunately, we were born in the red-light district. Although we were taken care of by our older sisters and aunts and grew up safely, my younger sister lived up to expectations and became the top courtesan.

But such places are generally not good.

Worldly purity and normal values do not exist in this red-light district; everyone is measured by money, and life is as cheap as grass.

So, although I'm very reluctant to let her go, I think that if my younger sister can marry into a good family, my soul will surely be redeemed.

"It's not that exaggerated, brother. Don't misuse newly learned words."

That was during the Spring Festival.

Big Brother Hiroyama said that they couldn't waste the Cherry Blossoms covering the mountain, so he took them to Yam Mountain to admire the cherry blossoms.

He also gathered people from the chamber of the Merchants' Association and Shipyards to attend the banquet.

The Cherry Blossoms on Yam Mountain are in full bloom, their pink and white petals fluttering in the mountain breeze and covering the mountain paths.

Everyone spread out felt mats and sat around under the Cherry Blossom trees, drinking and eating cakes. Laughter from admiring the flowers and shouts of urging others to drink mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere that could be heard even in the Hot Spring Street below the mountain.

Later, someone suggested, "Since we're already here, why don't we go and pay our respects at the Inari Shrine?" So the group went up the stone steps in twos and threes.

Tamaro didn't want to go; he never had any interest in such places. But Tamamo-no-Mae said she wanted to go, he had no choice but to go along.

The approach to Inari Shrine is lined with vermilion torii Torii, row upon row, stretching up the mountainside and resembling a long corridor leading to the horizon in the night.

The candlelight inside the Stone Lantern cast long, light shadows.

Tamamo-no-Mae walked ahead, the hem of her kimono brushing against the stone path, making a very soft rustling sound.

After the origin story, Tamamo-no-Mae of the Ema stand, asked the shrine keeper for an Ema, turned her back, and wrote on it for a while with her sleeve half-covering it before tiptoeing to hang it in the middle of the Ema stand.

Tamaro stood not far behind her, leaning against the pillar of the Torii, waiting for her.

After Tamamo-no-Mae left, he quietly Earth Flow the Ema stand and found the wooden plaque that his sister had just hung up.

He thought that if it was a wish he could fulfill, then he would fulfill it himself, without bothering that damned Inari God.

But there was only one line of text written on it.

I hope my brother can marry a good wife.

Tamaro was stunned.

He turned to look at Tamamo-no-Mae.

She was standing under the Torii, raising her hand to catch a Cherry Blossom that had drifted down from a branch. Her profile was softly illuminated by the light from the Stone Lantern, making her look almost unreal.

He put down the Ema) and walked towards her.

Tamamo-no-Mae she heard footsteps. When she saw it was him, she followed his gaze to the Ema) stand not far behind him and smiled.

"I just happened to see it on the way." Tamaro walked up to her and said in a low voice, "You should pray for a good marriage for yourself, why did you only write this one sentence?"

"I'll take care of my own affairs; you don't need to worry about me, brother," Tamamo-no-Mae said matter-of-factly. "You always need someone to care for you, and I'm worried about you being alone."

Tamaro thought to himself, "What good girl would marry someone like me?"

Mokushō squinted at the rescued Tamaro, then suddenly exclaimed "Yo!" with a hint of excitement in his voice, "It's connected! It's connected!"

Izuna was leading Haruto behind the stone steps when he heard this and turned around. "What?"

"Fate, fate." Mokushō raised his hand and pointed in the direction where Tamaro and Zhen were.

Under the moonlight, the girl nestled in Tamaro's arms. The man held a sickle, his back arched like a beast, his terrifying face expressionless, yet he protected her with an extremely forceful posture.

"Those two, the red thread of their marriage certificate turned incredibly bright red for a fleeting moment; they're going to become husband and wife."

"Is this the time to talk about this?!" Izuna was utterly speechless. "The docks are about to sink, and you still have the mind to look at marriage prospects?"

"Then what can I do?" Mokushō shrugged. "You didn't even find me something to attach myself to. Without something to attach myself to, I can't fight at all. Otherwise, for a small scene like this, I could just wave my hand and..."

Izuna stared at him suspiciously. "You... did you know there would be a fight here?"

"I don't know!" Mokushō stared wide-eyed behind the Talisman Paper.

It took Haruto several sentences of their conversation before he finally noticed Mokushō's presence. Although he didn't know why he couldn't see him at first, he automatically attributed it to the Ninja's mysterious ability.

When the topic of attachments came up, he couldn't help but ask, "What attachments?"

Upon hearing someone ask for advice, Mokushō immediately perked up. "It's something that's a little old, or something that carries memories. Only with something like that can I attach myself to it. Don't you have one on you?"

Haruto paused for a moment, then subconsciously reached into his robes. When he pulled his hand out again, a folding fan was now in his palm.

The fan was wrapped in dark blue silk, and its ribs were smooth and warm; it was clear from its appearance that it was no ordinary item.

That was something he brought from home; it was something his mother had stuffed into his hands while she was dressing him up, scolding him for being unfilial.

He didn't think it was important, so he didn't touch it. He kept it in his pocket, never opened it, and never looked at it carefully.

"Is this it?" He handed over the fan. "Here, take this."

Mokushō didn't reach out to take it, but tilted his head slightly. "This is something that carries your mother's longing. Are you sure?"

"It doesn't matter, it's just a fan," Haruto said.

Mokushō looked at him, puzzled. His expression seemed to say, "What child would so easily give away a gift from their mother?"

"He and his mom are having a tiff," Izuna explained from the side, his tone carrying a knowing air of someone who'd been there before. "Sigh, teenagers, you know."

Haruto frowned. "You look much more childish."

Izuna waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, I'm not going to run away from home just because I argued with Madara. At most, we'll just keep fighting until one of us agrees with the other's views."

Haruto was shocked. "Isn't that even worse?!"

"If we separate because of differing opinions, then we're no longer family."

Izuna dropped his joking tone, his expression unusually serious. He stood on the stone steps, with towering Kakkō and chaotic shouts of battle behind him, Ise Haruto was a head taller than him, in front of him.

But he looked directly into Haruto's eyes and said calmly, "Haruto, no one can escape their family. No matter how you run, you will still be connected by an invisible thread of fate. The way you walk, your eating habits, the way you subconsciously handle things—there will always be traces of the other person. You can't sever that connection just by saying 'I have no relationship with my mother anymore.'"

"I wasn't raised by my mother, but by my wet nurse," Haruto said.

But aren't you all equally stubborn?

"Where am I...?"

"Even now that things have escalated to this point, your first reaction is still to run away, isn't it?" Izuna raised an eyebrow. "It's the same as when your mother forced you to go back to the banquet. You both just wanted to pull the other down your own path, neither of you would give in. That's why she chased after you, and that's why you ran. In the end, you and your mother are basically the same kind of people."

Haruto opened his mouth as if to refute, but found that it was indeed the case.

This person in front of him had only drunk with him a few times, yet he saw through his pretense better than anyone else.

He remembered his mother's words when he was fifteen, "Don't come back after you leave," when he slung his luggage over his shoulder. He remembered her red-eyed but clenched teeth, refusing to shed a tear, when he returned home. He remembered his mother's subtle expectation when the fan was stuffed into his arms.

"Now I can rest assured. Our Ise finally has a successor, and your father can rest easy too."

At that moment, he was thinking that his mother always thought of Ise and his deceased father, so how could she understand his thoughts?

Moreover, he is already capable of standing on his own and has the ability to support himself outside, so why would he want to return to Ise to inherit the throne?

Wasn't she always dissatisfied with her manners and way of speaking?

Looking back now, since he came back, my mother has never said a bad word about him in front of outsiders. She has always been proud when she talks about him. Although she criticizes his identity as a businessman, she has never denied everything he has done.

She just wanted to make her life better.

He suddenly couldn't say anything; he could only grip the fan tightly.

"Of course, even though I say that, some people still won't be able to stand it. If it's really unbearable, you can come to Konoha and stay for a few days..."

"I see. I understand now." Haruto nodded. "Thank you, Izuna. I won't run away again."

Izuna blinked, unsure if he understood, but hearing the other person address him as "teacher" (先生), he nodded with relief, "Yes, I'm glad you understand!"

Mokushō, growing impatient, said, "Hey Izuna, do we really need to be reasonable at a time like this? The fight over there is getting more and more intense. Why don't we go help out first, and then we can have a heart-to-heart talk?"

Izuna ignored the Ninjutsu beams still swirling above the sea, put his hands on his hips, and said confidently, "If we don't resolve the knot in my friend's heart, he'll definitely make the wrong choice. Therefore, his knot must be untied now, or he'll surely make the wrong choice!"

"Eh..."

"Izuna, this fan is for you." Haruto handed the fan to Izuna again.

"Why? Didn't you say you weren't going to run away?" Izuna looked at him in surprise.

"That's why I should be able to get something better than this." Haruto smiled slightly, his eyes reflecting Madam Ise surrounded by her retainers in the distance, a hint of relief in his expression. "So, I'll give you this fan as a token of my gratitude. It's a bit old, but it should still be usable."

Izuna took the fan and looked at Mokushō: "So, what should we do?"

Suddenly, a system screen popped up, displaying a spell.

After reading it once, Izuna raised his fan as instructed, opened his mouth, and began to recite.

[You are one of the countless spirits lost on their journey home, a shadow left behind on the other shore. If you are willing to submit to me, my Karma will be your path.]

[Hear these words of destiny, I offer this as your Dwelling, and entrust this life to your strength.]

I swear to this world that I will pave the way for good and forge chains to restrain evil.

If you agree with this principle and are willing to uphold this will, then let it resonate in the void!

In an instant, the light shone brightly, and then, like a golden torrent, the light burst forth from the ground and shot into the sky.

Then the beam of light spread out, and golden-green leaves swept across the sea and rooftops, dissipating with the sea breeze and tinkling like wind chimes as they passed overhead.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at the beam of light.

A calm and peaceful atmosphere filled the entire dock with the leaf-like debris. The anger in their hearts seemed to be soothed by something, and everyone involuntarily put down their weapons.

Hashirama raised his hand in Hashirama daze and caught a green leaf that was about to fall.

This is Natural Energy, an energy that exists in the air, but why...?

So familiar?

Haruto, who was closest, was completely engulfed in the light and couldn't even open his eyes. He could only squint to barely make out anything.

Then he saw Mokushō, along with the surging light, merge into his fan.

Izuna blinked, holding the fan, and unfolded it.

Even under the glow of the oil lamps at the dock, the fan embroidered with intricate patterns still shone brightly.

"So beautiful!" Izuna exclaimed sincerely.

Mokushō's voice came from the fan. "It is indeed a very beautiful fan. Alright! Try it out!"

But how do I use it?

"Just fan them! Imagine you're going to blow them all away in one breath, then just fan!" Mokushō's voice was full of laughter. "Use your Tengu Wind to blow them all away!"

Izuna looked at him, puzzled. "Um... okay, I'll give it a try."

Haruto looked at Izuna.

He faced the people watching him, raised his fan high, and waved it forcefully.

At first, Haruto was wondering how such a fan could possibly have any effect, but the next second...

A sudden gust of wind rushed out from in front of Izuna.

Sand and waves churned over, oil lamps shattered, torches went out, and weapons were blown about in all directions.

Because everyone was looking this way, everyone was directly exposed to the strong wind.

Their faces became flat and smooth like soft mochi, looking bizarre and comical, and then they themselves were blown away.

The boats on the shore were listing heavily due to the strong winds. People on the dock and beach were wailing and crying, but even their cries were blown away by the wind and could not reach Haruto's ears in time.

People were swept up in the whirlwind and flew through the air, while Ninjutsu was naturally blown away by the strong wind.

Amidst the roars and screams of the crowd, only the Merchants' Association members, who were some distance from the dock, remained standing still; everyone else fell into the sea like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Madara, who had unleashed Susanoo Hashirama, who used the Flying Thunder God Technique to block the wind, and Tobirama, Tobirama using the Flying Thunder God, watched the people who had fallen into the sea. After a moment of silence, they all turned their heads to look at the culprit.

Izuna stared in disbelief, his fan still held in a downward-flapping position.