Keep Playing, Keep Dancing!

Daimyo Manor, side hall.

Incense burned within the hall, its elegant smoke curling lazily upward.

The sound of strings and wind instruments echoed through the chamber.

Chiba Ran reclined against a broad cushioned couch, the lapels of his black casual robe hanging open to reveal his broad chest. He looked utterly at ease.

In the center of the hall, a group of dancing girls swayed gracefully.

The lead dancer was barely sixteen, with a voluptuous figure and a slender waist.

She wore only a thin pink gauze dress, light as cicada wings, barely covering her most intimate parts.

Her steps were nimble, and glimpses of alluring scenery flashed beneath her skirt.

Her snowy skin glowed enticingly, while her long, straight legs appeared and disappeared as her skirt fluttered open and closed.

Every spin stirred a fragrant breeze.

Every backward glance was seductively alluring.

Their dances were endlessly soft and seductive, drifting at times, entwining at others.

Every movement was a silent invitation, every gesture testing the preferences of the man seated upon the throne.

They were peerless beauties chosen with great care, gifts offered to the new king.

Their eyes burned with naked desire.

If they could earn even a trace of that man's favor, they could rise to the heavens in a single step and become women above all others.

That desire made their dancing increasingly fervent, increasingly bewitching.

Chiba Ran looked relaxed, yet his gaze was blazing as a fire rose in his lower abdomen.

Seated below him, Aono Saku sat upright with a solemn expression, entirely out of place amid the atmosphere around him.

"Aono."

Chiba Ran withdrew his gaze from the dancers, lifted his wine cup, and spoke casually.

"Yes, my lord."

Aono Saku immediately bowed, his manner respectful.

Chiba Ran drained his cup in one gulp. "Have your clansmen grown accustomed to the Land of Fire Capital?"

"Thanks to your lordship's grace, my clansmen have already settled down," Aono Saku replied respectfully.

"Merely settling down is not enough." Chiba Ran set down his cup. "The funds I gave you were not for you to hoard away. Have them open shops, do business, and fully integrate into the Land of Fire Capital."

"Send those talented youths to school to learn new knowledge. Don't just cling to ninjutsu."

"You have become the Hidden Guard. Your clansmen should stand proudly in the sunlight, not hide forever in dark corners."

"If your children's faces don't carry smiles, wouldn't that mean I have failed?"

Aono Saku abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.

It swiftly turned into gratitude. He bowed deeply, slamming his forehead heavily against the floor.

His voice was hoarse with emotion. "Thank you, Lord Daimyo. The Senju Clan will serve you unto death for generations to come."

"Get up." Chiba Ran smiled noncommittally. "I am not a heartless man. Follow me, and your lives will only get better."

"Thank you, Lord Daimyo!" Aono Saku kowtowed again.

Just then, Aono Saku caught sight of a figure flashing past outside the hall from the corner of his eye. The person did not enter, merely gave him a discreet signal.

Aono Saku immediately said, "My lord, word has arrived from Yanagi. Please allow this subordinate to take his leave for the moment."

"Go."

Chiba Ran waved a hand, turning his attention back to the dancers.

Aono Saku strode out of the side hall. At an unoccupied corner, a Hidden Guard member dressed as a guard knelt on one knee and offered up a small bamboo tube with both hands.

Without any unnecessary exchange, the handoff was completed. The Hidden Guard member flickered away and vanished into the courtyard.

By the time Aono Saku returned to the hall, the music had stopped at some point.

The dancers were kneeling prostrate on the floor, drenched in fragrant sweat, not daring to raise their heads.

Chiba Ran was studying the lead dancer with great interest, making no attempt to conceal the possessiveness in his eyes.

"My lord." Aono Saku quietly stepped forward and presented the bamboo tube.

Chiba Ran did not take it. He merely asked, "From Konoha?"

"Yes."

"Tell me. What interesting news is there?"

Aono Saku opened the bamboo tube, quickly scanned the secret letter, then reported concisely, "Minato Namikaze has carried out the Genius Cultivation Plan and the selection for the Guardians of the Twelve entirely according to your will."

"The results are even better than we expected."

"Oh?"

Hearing that, Chiba Ran finally sat upright, clarity returning to his eyes.

"Let me see it."

"Yes."

Chiba Ran took the slip of paper and unfolded it.

The information on it was far more detailed than Aono Saku's verbal report.

How Fugaku Uchiha had delivered an impassioned speech.

How Hyuga Hiashi had secretly plotted.

And what stance the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans had taken.

Everything was written with perfect clarity.

But what Chiba Ran found most interesting was the final section of the secret letter.

It described in detail the enormous turmoil that the Imperial Concubine Selection had stirred among Konoha's major clans.

The Uchiha Clan was preparing to select the three most beautiful girls from within its ranks.

Even clans like the Inuzuka and Aburame, who had always stayed out of worldly disputes, were beginning to stir.

Reading this, Chiba Ran was first stunned, then burst into loud laughter.

He remembered.

At that grand court assembly, a minister seeking to curry favor with him had suggested taking imperial concubines.

He had not taken it seriously at the time. He had merely regarded it as a way to reassure the people and agreed to it casually.

He had never expected that this idle move, one he himself had nearly forgotten, would become the final straw that crushed Konoha.

No wonder Konoha had changed so drastically.

The Genius Cultivation Plan was division.

The Guardians of the Twelve were a means of consolidating power.

And the simple words "Imperial Concubine Selection" struck directly at the lifeblood of every shinobi clan—their bloodlines and inheritance.

It became the fiercest catalyst, instantly detonating every conflict he had previously laid down.

The hardest thing to resist in this world had never been some earth-shattering conspiracy.

It was the most primal desires and fears lurking in the deepest parts of the human heart.

Konoha, this sword.

He had thought he would need to put in some effort to completely seize it from Hiruzen Sarutobi and those old men.

Now, it seemed that would not take long at all.

Chiba Ran casually tossed aside the secret letter. Aono Saku immediately caught it and destroyed it with Fire Release.

He slowly rose to his feet and paced through the hall, seeming to contemplate something.

Then he walked over to the lead dancer, crouched down, and hooked a finger beneath her chin, making her raise her head.

"Tell me, with looks like yours, could you enter my harem?"

The dancer did not understand what he meant and timidly said, "This concubine dares not speak rashly. It is entirely for my lord to decide."

"Hahahaha!"

Chiba Ran burst into laughter. "Minamoto."

Minamoto immediately jogged inside.

"Your servant is here."

"Since everyone is so enthusiastic about this Imperial Concubine Selection, if I do not arrange it properly, would I not disappoint their sincere intentions?"

The corner of Chiba Ran's lips curled upward, his expression meaningful.

"Pass down my order."

"Announce it throughout the Land of Fire."

"Any citizen of the Land of Fire, whether noble, shinobi, or commoner, may participate if they have an unmarried daughter of suitable age, with proper character and appearance."

Minamoto looked exhilarated and immediately accepted the order. "Yes!"

His lord was willing to take imperial concubines. As a retainer, he was naturally delighted.

Because that meant the future young masters and young ladies would soon be born.

Chiba Ran stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Whether those shinobi clans were willing to send their daughters to participate did not matter to him.

What mattered were the noble and prominent families within the capital. This would be a game of division and choosing sides.

Internal affairs would soon stabilize.

Then it would be time to begin making arrangements concerning the Land of Lightning.

"Also, notify Minister of Finance Tanaka Shigeru. Have him come to my study tomorrow morning."

"Yes!"

Minamoto immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

Chiba Ran immediately invited Aono Saku to sit, then barked at the musicians and dancers still kneeling on the floor, "What are you staring at? Keep playing! Keep dancing!"