Daikokuten * Shikigami

Inside the Hot Springs Inn, Izuna and her three companions were having breakfast.

It was called breakfast, but it was more like a hastily stuffed-in ration for soldiers.

Hashirama ate his bowl of Rice with Grated Yam very quickly, Madara finished his rice with Miso Soup, and Tobirama only took a bite of half Rice Ball before starting to look through the documents that had been delivered from the Flying Thunder God teleportation array that morning.

Only Izuna diligently ate the entire steamed Sea Fish laid out before him from head to tail, and even ordered an extra serving of Tempura, eating to his heart's content.

Izuna remained noncommittal about the other three's eating habits, after all, he used to be the kind of person who was too lazy to even eat breakfast, and would just eat whatever was convenient for lunch and dinner.

However, for him, this was a long-awaited opportunity to eat delicious food. Since arriving here, he had only been eating simple meals, so seeing proper steamed fish here made him want to have a taste.

"Alright, let's go!" Izuna wiped his mouth clean, clasped his hands together and said "Thank you for the meal," then stood up, his eyes sparkling. "To the Shrine!"

"Go to the County Government first," Tobirama said, throwing cold water on the idea without even looking up. "We've already spoken with the officials in this territory about the prisoners from last Tobirama, and they hope we can go there this morning to give a brief explanation. After that, you can go to the Shrine as you see fit."

Izuna's face fell. "What else is there?"

"Why don't you go to the Shrine yourself?" Tobirama closed the document, stood up, and looked at him calmly. "But I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out alone."

"Hey, I really didn't cause any trouble yesterday afternoon."

"Well, so you'd better come with us obediently."

Izuna couldn't help but look at Madara, and found that although he looked disgusted, he didn't refute Tobirama.

Brother Ban! Even you think I'm always causing trouble?!

Upon noticing his younger brother looking at him with disappointment, Madara couldn't help but tilt his head slightly before standing up.

He pulled Izuna's outer robe off the screen and handed it to him. "Take care of your business first, then enjoy the scenery. I'll go with you after we're done."

Hashirama patted Izuna on the shoulder, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "Don't worry, it won't be long. Tobirama knows what he's doing; he's definitely already prepared what he wants to say."

Izuna had no choice but to resign himself to his fate, putting on his outer robe and sluggishly following the three out of the Inn.

The Hot Spring Street was bright and sunny. Two early risers held up wooden signs and pointed at the distant mountain scenery. Several children chased a tabby cat from an alley, their Geta clogs making a series of crisp sounds on the stone pavement.

The four people crossed the main street and headed north.

The Land of Hot Water Springs was much larger than Izuna had imagined.

He had initially thought it was just a small island famous for its Hot Springs, but after looking at a map, he discovered that the island's length from south to north was not much shorter than the distance from the Capital of the Land of Fire to Konoha.

Surrounded by the sea, the island has continuous mountain ranges but few Plains.

Yet, on this not-so-vast flat land, this overly bustling Hot Spring Street has sprung up.

Neat rows of Machiya- style buildings line both sides of the road, with long flags hanging above the doors, and menus or best-selling items written on wooden boards at the street stalls.

The further north you go, the taller the buildings become, the wider the streets grow, and the more pedestrians there are.

A brightly colored signboard stood in front of a shop, depicting several goldfish and lanterns. A few children were gathered around a pond, catching fish with paper nets.

There were also ring toss, pitch-pot, and bamboo Shuriken throwing games nearby.

Further ahead, there was a shop selling Fox Mask and Tengu Mask. Several young girls each picked one, covered their faces with it, and walked past them laughing and joking.

Looking at the signs with the character "hot spring" hanging along the street, Izuna thought that this place was not much different from a modern tourist city.

Aside from the lack of celebrities and IPs, and the various large-scale electric attractions, this place is already very close to a modern Amusement Park.

It seems that the Amusement Park that Hashirama and his Big Brother originally planned was already considered quite luxurious in their eyes.

The County Government is located on a gentle slope north of the Hot Spring Street, and is a typical Japanese manor.

White walls and gray tiles, two Stone Lanterns stand in front of the door. Walking along the stone path, the front courtyard is spacious but too quiet. The only sound is the soft sound of water flowing from bamboo tubes into stone mortars.

The servants who led the way brought them into a side courtyard, around a stone bridge, and after they changed their shoes and washed their hands, they went into a Tea Room half-hidden in the shadows of the trees.

The Tea Room was very small, with yellowish tatami mats on the floor, a traditional Chinese ink painting of a landscape hanging in the niche, and a wisp of white smoke rising from the incense burner.

The official was already waiting inside.

He knelt in the main seat, his body robust, his face honest, and his whole being looked like a piece of thick wood polished by time.

He bowed slightly to the four people and then instructed his servants to serve tea, his manners neither hurried nor slow, but just right.

Izuna knelt between Madara and Tobirama, took the teacup, sipped it, and then seemed lost in thought.

The tea was good, but unfortunately he had just eaten and now all he wanted to do was go to the Shrine.

Daikokuten Hashirama a few pleasantries before getting down to business, with Daikokuten asking about the Ninjas at the docks the previous night.

Izuna didn't want to speak, but as Diplomat, he couldn't let the Hokage speak in this situation, so he had to muster his energy and answer one sentence at a time.

He first explained why the Ninjas from the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning gathered in the Land of Hot Water, then briefly described how the two countries used the port as a transit point and the Hot Spring Street as a cover, and then gave a general overview of the personnel.

Then a problem was pointed out.

"The Land of Hot Water itself lacks registration and control over Ninja are not from its own country."

When Daikokuten heard the words "registration and restraint," his hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

Daikokuten really wanted to ask about the registration, but he put that aside for the time being and instead asked how Konoha hoped to resolve the issue if the Land of Hot Water cooperated, and what the procedure would be.

Izuna answered without much thought.

He suggested that an informal Formal Note could be formally sent to the County Government of Land of Hot Water in the name of the Konoha Special Administrative Region, providing the prefectural County Government with the known list of illegally staying Ninjas. The Land of Land of Hot Water would then proceed with its own legal procedures, with Konoha not directly enforcing the law but only providing intelligence and technical support from the sidelines.

The subsequent Deportation, accountability, and expulsion will all be handled by the Land of Hot Water itself; Konoha will not overstep its authority, nor will it demand any compensation.

He spoke lightly and calmly, and in fact, because he wanted to finish quickly, he became even more concise and straightforward.

But the Daikokuten listened, the more terrified he became.

Izuna's words were like clearing out all the potential pitfalls for him. He laid out the procedures, clearly outlining who should do it, how to do it, and to what stage, as if he had done it many times before.

They didn't involve the Land of Fire, nor did they completely remove Konoha's influence; they provided them with a degree of support while allowing them to make decisions on all crucial matters.

In this way, they could act without worrying about the consequences, and without losing their sovereignty.

If Konoha can emerge unscathed after the incident, the Land of Hot Water can also maintain a respectable image in front of other nations.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Upon hearing this, Hashirama and Madara simultaneously sat up straight.

They weren't unfamiliar with Izuna's talent in this area, but they were still somewhat surprised every time they saw it.

Tobirama wasn't too surprised. He had fought Izuna before, and he knew best how difficult Izuna could be when he went all out.

Although this child may seem naive now, he has never faltered when it comes to crucial matters, and this matter is a very basic logical problem. If he can't even solve this, then Izuna shouldn't be Diplomat.

After the discussion, Daikokuten remained silent for a moment, then chuckled and bowed slightly to Izuna: "Lord Izuna's explanation is so insightful that I don't even need to exchange pleasantries. Let's proceed as agreed. If necessary, I will invite all of you gentlemen to come and review it."

He paused, then added, "After listening to your words today, I understand why Konoha has been able to develop so rapidly in such a short time."

Izuna seemed taken aback by the sudden compliment, paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You flatter me."

Daikokuten took a sip of tea, set down the teacup, and said slowly, "If you gentlemen do not mind, you may rest in the Tea Room for a while. I will go and draft the documents and send them over later for your review."

Izuna, who was about to stand up and say goodbye, sat back down as soon as he heard this.

He didn't want to embarrass the other person over such a trivial matter, and no matter how urgent the situation, he couldn't just walk away after the other person finished speaking.

So he put on a polite smile and replied, "Then I'll take my leave."

There are two Tea Rooms in total. The outer one is covered with tatami mats, while the inner one is separated by a low screen. Further inside, it seems to be a preparation room.

He sat there, idly drinking his tea, his gaze drifting to the niche beside him.

The painting depicts a group of auspicious gods, with exquisite brushstrokes. The Seven Lucky Gods are depicted sitting or standing, each riding their own mount, and their faces and postures exude joy.

Izuna couldn't help but take a few more glances, mentally appraising the artwork, thinking to himself that the drawing skills were quite good.

However, to be fair, this Tea Room is really small; you can't even stand up straight. But in modern times, it would probably be popular with interior design bloggers.

Who wouldn't love a small wooden cabin like this? Imagine how wonderful it would be to cover the walls with metal sheets and hang a whole wall of grain on them!

He was lost in thought when he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ban had moved to the guest exit and was slowly putting on his shoes.

Hashirama followed behind him with a smile, Tobirama knelt to the side waiting. All three of them were about to go out.

Izuna, holding his teacup, paused, then asked, "Didn't we say we'd rest in the Tea Room?"

Tobirama turned to look at him, equally puzzled. "Yeah."

Izuna's expression became even more bewildered. "Then why did you all go out?"

Tobirama looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Daikokuten meant for us to enjoy the scenery and drink tea in this Tea Room. You think we're just going to sit here doing nothing? Four adults, huddled in this tiny Tea Room, just staring blankly?"

Izuna awkwardly chuckled twice, "I really don't know much about this."

Tobirama didn't say anything more, turned around and stepped out of the small door.

Madara was already waiting outside. When he saw Izuna come out, he explained, "The Tea Room itself is just a place to shelter from the wind and rain and enjoy tea in peace. For the tea drinkers, the garden Tea Room is what the host really wants to show."

"With a courtyard, the Tea Room feels like a secluded cabin in the mountains. The winding paths we took when we came in, the changing of shoes, washing of hands, and bowing before entering were all meant to help us leave behind the noise and bustle of the outside world and calmly appreciate the tea prepared by the host."

"This is also a kind of refined taste among the military aristocracy."

Upon hearing this, Izuna curled his lip.

"I'm definitely not going to let guests crawl through a dog hole to drink tea."

Upon hearing Hashirama, Hashirama was overjoyed and laughed so hard his shoulders shook, leaning on the Stone Lantern beside him.

Tobirama couldn't help but chuckle, turning his head away so that only his slightly trembling shoulders could be seen.

Madara raised his hand and gently patted Izuna on the head. "Your viewpoint is surprisingly consistent with that of everyone who discusses the tea ceremony."

The view outside the courtyard is quite nice.

It was the season when spring flowers were in full bloom, and clusters of pink, white and light red flowers peeked out from the bushes on both sides of the stone path, intertwining with the various shades of green throughout the garden.

A thin stream flows out from the depths of the artificial hill, meanders around several moss-covered rocks, and finally flows into the clear water in the corner.

The water reflects the shadows of trees and drifting clouds, with several carp swimming leisurely among them.

On the east side of the courtyard, there are several trellis-like wooden vines, and newly sprouted Vines climb up the trellis, with a few tender leaves trembling gently in the wind.

Several Butterflies fluttered among the flowers and vines, their wings shimmering in the sunlight—it was absolutely beautiful.

Izuna and the other three sat under the pergola, enjoying the moment of tranquility, but Izuna's gaze remained fixed on the largest Butterfly.

The Butterfly would land on a white flower one moment, then flutter to the other end of the trellis the next, and with each flap of its wings, his eyes would follow it.

As he stared at it, a thought suddenly popped into his head: Could we freeze it? Just for a moment.

Along with that thought arose a strange intuition, so he reached out his hand and whispered to the Butterfly that was about to take flight from the flower:

"Bind!"

The Butterfly's flapping wings suddenly stopped.

It was as if something transparent was pressing down from all directions, freezing it completely in mid-air.

Then it plummeted straight down.

Izuna walked over, bent down, and gently picked up the Butterfly, placing it in his hand.

He had just steadied it when the Butterfly suddenly came back to life.

Its wings began to flutter slightly again, once, twice, as if it were waking up from a very brief dream.

But it didn't fly away; it quietly rested on Izuna's fingertip, occasionally raising and lowering its tiny feet, as if it mistook Izuna's finger for a flower branch.

Tobirama witnessed what had just happened, his eyes widening in astonishment. He stood up and chased after him, asking, "What was that just now?"

"What?" Izuna asked, her head still lowered, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the Butterfly on her finger, her tone light and cheerful.

"The word 'bind' you just mentioned," Tobirama's gaze was fixed on him, "What did you use on this Butterfly?"

Izuna then realized what he had done. "Ah... I don't know, I just thought it would work, so I tried it."

"Then let that person..." Tobirama frowned, recalling, his tone hesitant, "... explain to him... who was it again...?"

"Mokushō Izuna him."

Tobirama frowned. "Mokushō, yes, that's the name."

But for a split second, he genuinely couldn't remember.

It's astonishing that he could even forget the existence of Shikigami...

"If you're looking for him..." Izuna looked around, "He's not around here right now, it seems he went out."

Tobirama remained silent.

An entity that can make people forget their own existence, and forget it so naturally and completely—if it wants to do something, who can stop it?

Last night he was talking at length about Contracts and power in front of them, but now they don't even know his name and Izuna has to remind them.

He doesn't need to disguise himself, sneak around, or even just leave for a while to automatically disappear from everyone's memory.

This ability would be too dangerous if used elsewhere.

Are there no countermeasures?