The Senju Clan of the Land of Fire Capital

The night wind swept through the courtyard, stirring up a few withered leaves.

The candle flame swayed, stretching Chiba Ran's shadow long.

Juzo Biwa's presence had already vanished.

The butterfly that had turned from illusion to reality dissolved into specks of light, fading into nothingness.

Chiba Ran took a sip of the now-cold tea and suddenly spoke toward the moon gate, where no one stood.

"Do you think Juzo Biwa can be used for long?"

The courtyard offered no reply.

Only the wind.

After a few breaths, the shadow of the withered plum tree in the corner writhed eerily.

A dark figure peeled away from the shadow, appearing silently behind Chiba Ran.

He was clad in black, with no chakra fluctuation, and even his breathing and heartbeat were undetectable.

Then, a hoarse voice sounded. "His worth depends on what you need him to do, my lord."

"As for how long he'll last..."

"I'll keep an eye on him!"

Chiba Ran was unsurprised and drained the cold tea from his cup.

The man in black was called Aono Saku, his shadow guard.

His public identity was merely a trade association manager for several properties under the Daimyo Manor—an unremarkable merchant.

But no one knew that this silent man bore a surname capable of shaking the ninja world.

Senju!

Chiba Ran's gaze settled on Aono Saku, his thoughts drifting back several years.

Back then, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju—a man who had carved realism into his very bones.

When establishing a cooperative relationship with the Daimyo Manor, he had planted a chess piece.

He personally selected a branch of pure-blooded clansmen, erased their traces as shinobi, and secretly dispatched them to the Land of Fire Capital.

This group of Senju clansmen, named the Hidden Guard, had but one mission: to guard the Daimyo for generations, becoming his eyes and blade in the darkness.

However, due to the sudden death of the Daimyo two generations prior, the handover was interrupted, and this force was forgotten for decades.

It wasn't until Chiba Ran was twelve, while organizing his father's study in this life, that he discovered a scroll in a hidden compartment—a secret order penned by Tobirama Senju himself.

It was with this order that he awakened this sleeping power.

Not only that, after taking command of the Hidden Guard, he scoured the world for shinobi to join their ranks.

Just as he had recruited Juzo Biwa today.

In that bloody and brutal struggle for succession, it was Senju Saku before him and his Hidden Guard who had blocked countless assassination attempts and dismantled every conspiracy, allowing him to laugh last.

The power displayed when the envoy arrived that day was merely a fraction of the Hidden Guard.

This was his true foundation.

Even without the system, this absolutely loyal and terrifyingly powerful Hidden Guard alone would be enough to make any force that underestimated him pay the price.

"Any news from Konoha?" Chiba Ran withdrew his thoughts, his voice returning to a calm, still tone.

"Nothing yet. But this afternoon, thirty suspicious individuals entered the capital."

"From their movements, they can be confirmed as Root shinobi!"

Senju Saku's voice carried no inflection. "After entering the city, they dispersed. Two of them went straight to West City and haven't returned."

"Did you have them followed?"

"Yes. Yanagi is tailing them. Every move they make is under our surveillance."

"Hmph. Looks like that old dog Danzō couldn't hold back after all."

Chiba Ran knew well that once the news of the budget cuts was announced, Shimura Danzō would definitely make a move. He just hadn't expected it to be this fast.

There was no need to guess what a man with only 10 loyalty points would do.

He would inevitably contact those remnants who had barely escaped after failing in the power struggle.

"And those rats?" Chiba Ran asked again. "Have they made contact with the guests from Konoha?"

"Yes, my lord. They've met!" Senju Saku's voice remained hoarse. "It's confirmed that their leaders are your third brother, Chiba Xiu, and his uncle, Saionji Takashi."

"They've gathered about two hundred dead men and ronin, hiding in the Underground Waterway in West City. From our observations, it's a temporary base."

"As for those two, during their contact with Saionji Takashi, they handed over a scroll."

"A scroll... Do you know its contents?"

"No. Yanagi didn't dare get too close."

"Hmm..."

Chiba Ran tapped lightly on the desk.

He didn't even need to think—what was written on that scroll was nothing more than Danzo's promise to prop up his useless third brother after the deed was done.

A scrap of paper in exchange for a Daimyo's life.

Danzo, still such a shrewd businessman.

But that was enough.

Everything was unfolding as he had predicted.

Senju Saku asked for instructions, "My lord, shall we eliminate them now?"

With the power of the Hidden Guard, dealing with a rabble of misfits would be child's play.

"No need."

Chiba Ran raised a hand to stop him.

"Fishing requires patience."

"Let them keep preparing. Whatever they lack, I'll give it to them. I want them to swell with arrogance, to believe heaven's mandate is theirs, that victory is assured."

"I want every rat to crawl out of its hole on that day."

Chiba Ran turned, moonlight illuminating half his face, killing intent stark and clear.

"Pass the order: keep a tight watch. Don't startle the prey."

"It's also time to let the delegations from the four nations, and those people from Konoha, truly feel what the dignity of the Land of Fire's Daimyo means."

"Understood."

Senju Saku bowed his head lower.

He could feel the vast, cold will emanating from this young lord.

"You may go."

"Yes."

As the words fell, Senju Saku's body once again dissolved into a shadow, merging silently into the darkness and vanishing.

The courtyard returned to stillness.

The sky at the horizon was already showing a pale fish-belly white.

A new day was about to dawn.

But what he awaited was the day after tomorrow.

That grand coronation ceremony, prepared for him alone.

Meanwhile.

Land of Fire Capital, West City, Underground Waterway.

The cold, damp air was thick with a nauseating stench of mold and rot.

A faint flame flickered on a dry platform, casting light on several twisted faces.

Saionji Takashi held a scroll, reading it carefully.

Beside him, a young man with a sallow complexion and sunken cheeks was none other than the missing Chiba Xiu.

"Uncle! Stop reading! Ask them now—how much force can Konoha actually muster?"

Chiba Xiu's voice was hoarse, trembling with excitement as he stared intently at the two masked ninjas before him.

"Lord Xiu, please calm yourself." Saionji Takashi soothed him, then turned to the two Root operatives, adopting a deeply deferential posture.

"Gentlemen, we are aware of Lord Danzo's promise. But on the day of the ceremony, security will certainly be tight. With just our meager forces..."

One of the Root ninjas finally spoke, his voice icy. "Our mission is to ensure Chiba Ran dies during the coronation."

He didn't answer the question, only stated the order.

"The scroll makes it clear. Once Chiba Ran is dead, Lord Danzo will personally mediate the chaos in the Land of Fire Capital and recognize you, Lord Chiba Xiu, as the sole legitimate Daimyo of the Land of Fire."

Chiba Xiu shouted, "I'm asking if you'll act! Don't forget, that bastard Chiba Ran has ninjas around him too!"

"Rest assured, my lord. Our presence here is the greatest assistance."

"When you make your move, those ninja guards will be dealt with."

"What Lord Danzo wants to see is the result. The process is yours to create."

These words made Saionji Takashi's breathing smooth out instantly.

A look of wild joy spread across Chiba Xiu's face.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He spat out three "good" words in a row, his fists clenched tight, and said with venom: "As long as I can kill that bastard! I'll do anything! I'll take back everything I've lost! The throne, the wealth, and that woman, Qing Yueye!"

His voice was filled with nothing but jealousy and hatred.

The two Root ninjas exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

The next moment, their figures twisted and melted into the bottomless darkness behind them.

In the waterway, only Chiba Xiu's increasingly manic laughter remained.

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