Coup and Rankings

"Young people these days..." he muttered in a low voice, "Why do they all like guys like this? I just don't understand."

He couldn't help but recall what had happened a dozen days ago.

At that time, he was still questioning whether this suddenly appearing Uchiha Izuna was the same one who had died in battle half a year earlier.

The reasons are quite valid: First, he has never revealed the Sharingan, the iconic Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha.

However, this wasn't his biggest suspicion. If this person really was Lord Izuna, it was possible that he didn't have the Sharingan.

Since Izuna had already entrusted his eyes to Madara, it's not impossible that those eyes weren't Sharingan, but just ordinary eyes.

He was suspicious of the second point.

Character.

In the past, Izuna was warm towards people other than his brother Madara, but he was always ruthless and decisive towards opponents or potential threats, making him a veritable demon.

If it were my former self who dared to secretly question and test him like that, I would probably have been spotted by those scarlet eyes long ago, and even if I didn't die, I would have been badly injured.

But Izuna? He's always smiling, wandering around the village, playing with a bunch of kids, his eyes as clear as an innocent little devil, seemingly completely unaware of my secret observation and scrutiny.

Until that day.

On the first day of the Theatre Troupe's formation, he was still at his residence and knew nothing about it.

At that time, he and Izuna had never even formally met.

However, the boy in the dark blue Clan Attire called out his name so accurately, and after greeting him, gently placed a thick stack of papers on his desk.

It is the script of Taira no Kiyomori in "The Tale of the Heike".

It wasn't until that moment that Naoaki realized with horror that the seemingly innocent and naive boy had already seen through all his thoughts.

Taira no Kiyomori's lines, reactions, and even the changes in expression required by the annotations are all perfectly consistent with his own personality, every word and phrase seeming to be a direct transcription of his inner thoughts.

When Izuna looked at him, his dark eyes held little emotion, only a deep, unfathomable calm.

In that instant, Naoaki felt as if he had fallen into a dark, deep sea, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He saw through everything, yet he didn't care at all.

Because he doesn't need to use the same drastic methods as before to suppress or persuade himself.

He knew that if he simply presented the role of "Taira no Kiyomori" to him, Kiyomori would definitely agree.

This Izuna... is far more terrifying than the one before.

He sighed silently, Naoaki his head, and shook off the jumbled thoughts in his mind. Now was not the time to think about these things.

He needs to hurry and change into his costume for the next scene.

On the stage, light and shadow shift, and the storm of the times is silently gathering.

Taira no Kiyomori launched the "Jishō Coup" with Shigemori force. This time, Shigemori did not stop him. Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa with lightning speed, firmly controlling his greatest political enemy.

In February of the following year, Emperor Takakura, Tokuko's husband, abdicated under immense pressure.

The young retired emperor had no choice but to comply with Kiyomori's "request" and personally visit Itsukushima Shrine to pray, almost pleading, that the Taira would spare his imprisoned father.

In March, Tokuko, a young child who was still learning to speak and could not even walk steadily, was hastily placed on the throne, becoming Emperor Antoku.

The Taira's power was unparalleled for a time, reaching its zenith.

Beyond these overt contests, the Ninjas ' battlefields were equally exciting.

The stage abruptly shifts from a grand palace coup to a manor engulfed in Kakkō.

Shouts, the clash of weapons, and the crackling of flames mingled together.

The two sides clashed head-on, and the most eye-catching sights were several black figures crisscrossing at high speed.

Those were Ninjas who were enemies.

They all wore eye-catching armbands, one side with the Wisteria Crest representing the Fujiwara Family, and the other with the Ageha butterfly pattern that the Taira was proud of.

This is a meticulously designed "Ninja Duel" scene by the Theatre Troupe.

In the countless rehearsals before, Izuna set strict rules.

All the Ninja actors participating in the "duel" can only use pure Taijutsu and three pre-arranged Ninjutsu.

The actual Ninjutsu effect was Genjutsu by five Uchiha youths offstage who were responsible for maintaining the Genjutsu Formation, guided by the gestures and shouts of the actors on stage.

This approach ensures both stunning and realistic visual effects, while also allowing actors to clearly understand when to be hit, how to get injured, or how to resist, thus avoiding potential accidents that might occur with real weapons.

The initial rehearsals were riddled with errors.

Ninjas, whose fighting habits are ingrained in their bones, often unconsciously unleash their true abilities, leaving their opponents terrified.

The Uchiha guys responsible for Genjutsu would occasionally lose focus, causing the expected Great Fireballs or Water Dragon Bullets to disappear, leaving the actors on stage, who were in position to defend themselves, quite embarrassed.

It wasn't until Elder Naoaki couldn't stand it any longer and intervened by adding a Rune Array to the Genjutsu Formation that automatically recognized specific gestures and triggered preset Genjutsu reactions that the synchronization problem was solved.

So, during the subsequent rehearsals, these young people had a blast.

They treated it as a novel competitive game, honing their skills against each other and enjoying it immensely.

Izuna also played a couple of rounds.

Then, the story of how he single-handedly fought the entire Uchiha without encountering an opponent was spread by the excited children.

Now, not only the Uchiha, but also skilled young men from various clans such as the Senju, Sarutobi, and Shimura are eager to challenge Izuna.

The result was predictable: a complete defeat.

With just his unpredictable and supernatural Taijutsu, Izuna rendered all their attacks ineffective.

A battle of Wheel? After completing one round, Izuna's breathing was as steady as if he had just taken a walk.

Later, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he simply created Challenge Ranking Board. Want to fight him? First, you have to reach the top of the daily ranking.

As a result, the "Internal Battle" among young people has become even more intense.

And at this very moment, the match on stage is a brilliant presentation of this meticulously choreographed and painstakingly rehearsed game.

A nimble Taira clan boy playing a Sarutobi Clan Ninja and a Yamanaka Clan boy playing Fujiwara Family Ninja, known for his agility, immediately engaged in a straightforward battle upon their first appearance.

The Taira Ninja started with a swift slide tackle to close the gap, and taking advantage of the opponent's slight adjustment of his lower body, he immediately executed a clean and decisive throw, slamming the Fujiwara Ninja to the ground.

What followed was a barrage of Taijutsu, punches, elbows, knees, and kicks, forcing the opponent into a passive defensive posture, making it difficult to mount an effective counterattack.

However, the Fujiwara Ninja was extremely resilient. He seized a fleeting opening and used the Substitution Technique to create distance, and the battle returned to a fierce back-and-forth exchange.

Retreat, form hand seals— the Taira Ninja spews out a blazing "Great Fireball"!

The Genjutsu Formation below the stage responded immediately, and a huge, blazing Fireball shot out with a roar.

On the opposite side, the Fujiwara Ninja almost simultaneously completed the hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground—"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

A solid earthen wall rose from the ground, barely blocking the Fireball's path. Flames exploded on the earthen wall, scattering rubble and sparks everywhere.

The Taira Ninja leaped into the air, attempting to find an opportunity, but was forced into a distorted mid-air motion by a precise Kunai throw from the astute Fujiwara Ninja.

He landed unsteadily, Fujiwara Ninja immediately launched a close-range attack.

"Bang! Bang!" The sounds of blocking were crisp, and the Taira Ninja steadied themselves, defending against this fast attack.

Immediately following a beautiful backflip to create some distance, the hand seals were completed in mid-air, and the second "Great Fireball" blasted towards the approaching opponent almost skimming the ground the moment of landing!

At such close range, the Fujiwara Ninja only had time to assume a defensive stance before being struck head-on by the blazing Fireball phantom!

"Ugh--!" The actor playing the Fujiwara Ninja cried out in pain, his body being pushed backward by the impact of the "explosion," and the Ninja costume instantly showed simulated charred marks and damage.

The Taira Ninja showed no mercy, relentlessly pursuing his opponent and wielding Kunai, precisely striking the side of his opponent's neck.

The Fujiwara Family Ninja staggered two steps and collapsed to the ground.

The Taira Ninja stood up, panting, Ageha butterfly armbands gleaming.

"Oh--!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic shouts and applause. This spectacular "Ninjutsu" duel, with its realistic effects and fluid yet powerful Taijutsu combat, completely exceeded their expectations of a theatrical performance, as if they were witnessing a real Ninja battle.

The stage lights slowly dimmed, marking the end of another conflict symbolizing a victory for the Taira.

Below the stage, the young people were whispering among themselves.

"That close-range Great Fireball was timed perfectly!"

"The Yamanaka Clan's Taijutsu is also this amazing..."

"Unfortunately, he still lost to me in the Ranking Matches, hehe."

Don't be so smug, we'll compete again tomorrow!