Pent-Up Grievances Erupt

The funeral on stage proceeded quickly.

With the successive losses of Moriko and Shigemori, the Taira was shrouded in darkness.

The atmosphere was gloomy, the music was somber, and even the audience was shrouded in a depressing silence.

Then, new lights illuminated the Rokuhara Residence.

The first thing that catches the eye is Taira no Munemori.

Shigemori brother, who had once sharply questioned Koremori's graceful dance during the Itsukushima festival, is now dressed in a more solemn head of the family's attire.

He sat upright in the main seat, trying to straighten his back and maintain his dignity, but the shifty look in his eyes and the deliberately raised tone revealed his lack of confidence when he took over this huge family business.

As the audience watched him, they couldn't help but compare him to the late Shigemori and sighed inwardly.

"No way... it's simply not as good..."

"That's too petty. How can someone like that be the head of the family?"

"Sigh, if only Shigemori were still alive..."

The other newly introduced character brings a completely different feel to the story.

The scene shifts to the courtyard where Tokuko is located.

The sun was shining brightly, Tokuko sat on the veranda, smiling as she watched the Little Prince taking his first unsteady steps.

Shinrei knelt in front of the child, holding a brightly colored cloth ball in her hand, patiently coaxing him with a gentle smile on her face.

The red Butterfly at the back of her head was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.

"Oh my! The Little Prince can stand up now!" A loud and cheerful voice suddenly rang out, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, upright young man dressed in black mourning clothes striding towards them.

His face wore an undisguised, radiant smile, his eyes were bright, and his movements exuded the carefree spirit and vitality unique to martial artists.

This is Taira no Tomomori, the third son of Kiyomori, and the younger brother of Shigemori and Munemori, played by Senju Kai of the Senju Clan.

When Tokuko saw him, a genuine smile appeared on her face. Without even getting up, she greeted him familiarly, "Brother Tomomori."

"Tokuko! Long time no see!" Tomomori 'Tomomori widened, his gaze quickly drawn to Shinrei. He blinked curiously, "Eh? Could this be... Guardian Ninja?"

His tone lacked the scrutiny or aloofness common among nobles, revealing only pure curiosity.

Tokuko introduced with a smile, "This is Higa Shinrei. She's always taken good care of Koremori and the others, and sometimes she comes to talk to me."

Upon seeing Tomomori, Shinrei immediately suppressed her smile, reverting to the respectful demeanor befitting Ninja, and bowed, saying, "Shinrei greets Lord Tomomori."

"Oh, you're too kind!" Tomomori waved his hand. "But I never expected a woman to become Ninja, it's truly unbelievable!"

He looked Shinrei up and down, and exclaimed in admiration, "Still such a beautiful young lady."

Shinrei was slightly taken aback, blinked, seemingly not expecting such straightforward praise, but Tomomori's attitude was not frivolous, but rather a frank exclamation.

She couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth into a slight smile.

Taira no Tokuko cautioned, "Brother, although I also think Shinrei is pretty, don't say that. She's a very skilled Ninja, not an ordinary young lady."

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Tomomori immediately followed suit, clasping his hands together in an apologetic gesture towards Shinrei, his expression almost exaggeratedly sincere. "Please forgive me! I misspoke! I meant no disrespect!"

His quick apology, coupled with a slightly comical demeanor, made Shinrei chuckle softly.

Seeing her smile, Tomomori scratched the back of his head and burst into laughter as well.

Tokuko looked at them and chuckled twice, but the smile quickly faded, and a light sorrow settled between her brows.

The observant Shinrei noticed and asked softly, "Lord Tokuko, what's wrong?"

Tokuko watched as the child, who was already drowsy, was carried away by the wet nurse, and lowered her voice. "This child... has a younger brother now. But he was born to another mother."

"Is it the Lady Kogo?"

Tokuko shook her head, her tone somewhat indifferent. "No. It's someone else, named Lady Shokushi."

The scenes change naturally as the conversation unfolds.

The child was already asleep inside. Shinrei quietly stood guard not far from the door, arms crossed, pretending to be asleep but keeping watch.

In the corridor, Tokuko sat and talked with Tomomori.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.

Tokuko asked softly, "I heard that your wife... is that child's wet nurse?"

She was referring to the half-brother of the Lady Shokushi, born to Little Prince.

Tomomori's smile faded slightly, and he nodded, his tone somewhat complicated. "... Mm."

Tokuko remained silent for a moment, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, and then asked, "I also heard that you have been appointed as Munemori's assistant?"

Tomomori visibly relaxed when she heard her change of topic, and her voice regained some of its brightness. "Yes, with my younger brother, Shigehira."

"I wonder... if Brother Munemori is capable of taking on the role of family head?"

Tomomori's expression froze again. He awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, his eyes darting away, and mumbled, "Um... well..."

Tokuko didn't press the matter. She sighed softly and changed the subject, "And Father? Is he... alright?"

Tomomori's expression darkened.

The light from lanterns illuminated the other side of the stage.

There, Taira no Kiyomori sat alone on the veranda facing the sea.

The once high-spirited and domineering hero now appears unusually hunched and lonely.

The corridor was filled with lanterns, so many that it was almost eerie.

After Shigemori's death, the once sarcastic title "Lord Lantern" seemed to become Kiyomori's only way of remembering his eldest son and expressing his grief.

He sat there quietly, gazing at the illusory waves, motionless, like a statue that had lost its soul.

At the same time, Tomomori's voice was low and somber. "Since the passing of my Shigemori brother Shigemori, Father has lived in seclusion in Fukuhara... It seems that Shigemori's death... still... deeply hurt him."

A brief silence fell over the room.

Whether it was Tokuko and Tomomori on stage or the audience below, everyone could feel the sadness permeating the air.

But the silence lasted only two seconds.

"But!" Tomomori suddenly straightened his back and slapped his knees hard with both hands, making a crisp sound.

He took a deep breath, his face regaining its defiant gleam, and his voice suddenly rose, filled with a determination to break through the gloom. "We can't stay down like this! Even though our brother is gone, we must carry on the Taira! Brothers united, we must strive together! Haha!"

Suddenly, a soft sound rang out, and the entire scene went dark, leaving only the carriage that had appeared out of nowhere in the middle.

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa and his close advisors were present.

The soft tapping sound was from his fan hitting the floor.

He raised his fan, and a tiny black dot appeared there.

"Tch, what an annoying bug." The Cloistered Emperor finished speaking and looked at his close advisors, "Is Kiyomori already out of his mind?"

Yes~

"Hmph, it seems he's become just another ordinary, senile old man." Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa revealed a gloating smile. "This is truly a godsend!"

Kiyomori spent his days idly in Fukuhara, truly living like an ordinary old man, just as his close advisors had described.

But when Munemori arrived with the message, he was still furious.

Kiyomori asked listlessly, "The Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa?"

Munemori bowed his head. "Yes. He confiscated the Echizen territory inherited by Shigemori's eldest son, Koremori... Previously, the Fujiwara Family's property, which was under Moriko's control, was also confiscated..."

Before Kiyomori could react to the first sentence, Kiyomori eye twitched suddenly as soon as Munemori finished speaking the second sentence, which hesitantly.

Munemori's shoulders twitched, but he forced himself to continue, "During this period... he has also interfered quite a bit in the court's personnel arrangements..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kiyomori slammed his hand heavily on a pillar in the corridor. "That bastard!"

Munemori was startled and took a half step back, cautiously asking, "Father?"

Kiyomori turned around, the long-extinguished flame in his eyes reigniting. "Damn it, how dare they act on their own! Do they think the Taira has no one left?!"

After saying that, he supported himself on his knees and suddenly stood up.

Munemori was both surprised and suspicious. "Father?!"

The old Samurai seemed to have been reborn; he strode forward, walking quickly and steadily, so fast that even Munemori, who was jogging, couldn't keep up.

He walked straight to the end of the covered bridge closest to the shore, facing the surging sea, the sea breeze whipping his sleeves high.

"Munemori!" Kiyomori's voice, like a thunderclap, pierced the wind and struck clearly, "Gather the troops! Hire Ninjas! Your father must return to the capital!"

He turned around, looked at his son who was panting as he caught up, his eyes sharp and piercing, and said, word by word:

"I'm not old yet!"

Below the stage, subtle commotions spread like ripples from pebbles thrown into still water.

"As expected of Elder Naoaki! So handsome!" Uchiha Takuma's eyes lit up, his voice filled with the pure admiration of a young man.

"Wow..." Uchiha Hinata was also mesmerized. The figure facing the sea breeze, with his sleeves fluttering, truly exuded the aura of a ruthless hero who could turn the tide.

The young people around him nodded in agreement. "He really is handsome."

However, after a brief moment of excitement, a deeper silence enveloped them.

The flush of excitement faded from Takuma's face, and he said with a complicated expression, "He's handsome, but what happens next..."

"Kiyomori's return to power means the last vestige of peace has vanished, and the Cloistered Emperor won't stand idly by," a young woman playing a minor role as a maid whispered. "And then there's the Minamoto clan's lurking presence..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant by leaving it unsaid.

From this moment on, the gears of tragedy truly began to turn faster.

"Speaking of which," a clear female voice interrupted, breaking the slightly heavy atmosphere.

The speaker was a girl from the Yamanaka Clan, tilting her head with a face full of curiosity, "The actors playing important figures of the Minamoto seem to all be Uchiha?"

"The vast majority are," an Uchiha youth chimed in, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact. "Lord Izuna doesn't just look at the clan when casting; he values whether the character fits the role more. Look at Musashibo Benkei, wasn't that played by Senju Koichi? Minamoto no Yoritomo is played by Nara Shikahiko, and 'Kumagai Naozane' is also from the Senju Clan."

Upon hearing the name "Kumagai," Hinata's expression instantly turned somewhat strange.

The Yamanaka girl was clearly more concerned with something else. She clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling, and lowered her voice. "But seriously, wouldn't it be more suitable for Lord Izuna to play the famously handsome 'Minamoto no Yoshitsune no Yoshitsune'? He's much better than the Tada yo currently playing Yoshitsune, Tadase-kun..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt as she suddenly realized that the surroundings had fallen silent.

Almost all the young people, regardless of gender, seemed to glance over at you, albeit casually.

The girls exchanged glances, creating the illusion of sparks crackling in the air.

Some of the boys squinted, crossed their arms, and scrutinized her with a critical look.

The Ninja world has a broad definition of emotions, and it is not unusual for Lord Izuna.

Even a few young Ninjas from the Senju Clan glanced in this direction subconsciously.

The situation became quite delicate at one point.

"Cough cough." A few deliberately exaggerated coughs came from the side.

Naoaki had temporarily stepped down, had somehow appeared nearby, a somewhat helpless expression on his face, and gestured to the young man to behave himself.

The young people immediately regained their composure and dispersed.